


A kiss from a rose

by Ebonyswanne



Category: Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman & Related Fandoms, Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman | Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
Genre: F/M, Post-Reflections, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 13:47:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11186382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebonyswanne/pseuds/Ebonyswanne
Summary: The war is long over and Ken has been asked a few questions by a journalist about his life and relationships.





	1. Chapter 1

Ken rested at his desk in the office of his new home, staring at the screen of his new lap top computer, it was late in the evening. His wife had gone to bed only a few moments before, warming at the thought of her drifting off to sleep without him smuggling up next to her. Sighing, he had decided to stay up and try and do some work, so he kissed her good night promising not to stay up to late.

He was about to write his story, about the three wars against Galactor and Gatchaman's part in it.

He had wanted to publish it under a different name, as if it had been written by an observer rather than the leader of the Science Ninja Team. But his wife who had thought of the idea in the first place, had talked him into putting it under his own name.

He smiled to himself as he decided it would published as "Gatchaman, and the Science Ninja Team", anonymous as their lives had always been- and how they were still trying to keep them. To a degree they were succeeding.

But where should he start?

He wondered as he took a quick look around the room.

And what should he write about?

He was still not even past the first paragraph and writers block too hold of him. There were so many things in his life that he would most likely never write about, they were far too personal.  
He flicked over to another document that was sent to him from TIME magazine. They wanted to write stories on each of them.

It was an honour for them to want to profile the team, Ken recognized that.

The magazine editors had been respectful towards them. The reporter had asked them what they wanted to do, it would be the largest cover story over a period of time that the magazine had ever done.

TIME, would do a cover on each of them, and a full profile of the team member. Then in the final issue- a cover with them together in birdstyle and an article about how they operated so effectively as a team.

Ken looked at the questions that the journalist who was writing the story about him had sent through.

One of them was; _What was your relationship with your mother like and how did affect you losing her at a young age?_

It was a strange question really, most people asked him about his Father Red Impulse but rarely did they want to know about his Mother.

He thought about the topic of Ken the Eagle and women a little more, the first woman to have any influence on his life was his Mother.

There was no doubt about that, he sat back in his chair as his thoughts drifted back to the last time he saw her look truly happy and radiant, it last only for a moment and the effort to make her smile was worth it, he was only 10 years old at the time…

Ken Washio sat at the Kitchen table, studying the book in front of him, this was his first self-appointed mission and he was not going to fail.

At Ten years old, cooking your first meal was a daunting task, even if it was breakfast.

But Ken was determined to create an edible dish for his Mother, she had been in bed, very ill all week and it was his mission to make her smile and get better.  
They had moved into Dr. Nambu's mansion about a month ago, due to his Mother's illness which was getting worse, Dr. Nambu had sat with him the previous night and told him that she was terminally ill.

Ken asked him what he meant by that, and the Doctor explained it further to him, she would not be with them for much longer.

Ken did not believe him- his Mother could not leave him too and he was going to do everything he could to help her get well again.

He thought it was good of Dr. Nambu to look out for her, and he was sure they would be moving back to the house once she was better again, and everything would be as it should then, all they would need was his Father to come home.

He didn't believe he was really dead, they never found his body.

He jumped down from the chair and carried the book into the spacious kitchen getting out the step box, and began looking through the cupboards for the right equipment for the mission ahead of him.

He put the book on the bench and went to the refrigerator and got out the egg carton and butter, and then he looked back with a smile, before he closed the fridge door with a round house kick.

He put the goods on the bench and referred back to the manual on what was needed next.

After a few more punches at unseen opponents on his way to the pots drawer, he began the task of cooking Eggs Benedict." _Poach the eggs,_ " he read out loud from the book.  
_"How do you do that?"_ he wondered, screwing up his face as he looked in another section of the cooking manual.

"Oh," he thought as he read the instructions," That's how." He filled the saucepan halfway with water and the put it on gas stove, he the turned on the gas and a blue flame lit up and was dancing on the hot plate, he then placed the saucepan on top of it.

He then put in the tablespoon of vinegar, some salt and then put the cracked egg into the now boiling water and pulled down the lever on the toaster.

Ken began to fight the unseen opponents again, practicing the moves that Dr. Nambu had been teaching him over the past year, a full Ninja Carte around the kitchen later, Ken was taking down an enemy when suddenly he could smell something burning...

"The toast, Damn It!," he thought and hurried to pop it up, by then the water in the pot was boiling over and Ken went into damage control. He looked at the toaster's dial and realized he should have checked it, as he observed it to be up to high.

"Mental note to self," he thought "always check things before pulling the lever."

He looked at the mess and decided he needed to start from scratch, so he decided to make the sauce first this time, and then put the egg on, then the toast, so in that order he proceeded," and keep your mind on the mission," he scolded himself out loud as he began the task again.

Half an hour later, with a mess from one end of the kitchen to the other, Ken stopped and smiled at the tray on the bench. It had toast (still a little well done, but it passed quality control), a poached egg on top and Benedict sauce. He looked at the picture in the cookbook and went to the fridge for some parsley to put on top.

He went through the mental check list again; Main course check, cutlery check, napkin check, Orange Juice check. He looked critically at the tray; something was still missing, to make it special for her.

_"I know,"_ he muttered and felt himself brighten as the idea form in his mind. He got some scissors out from the top drawer and ran out into Dr Nambu's prized rose garden. She liked roses so that should warm her heart.

He found the Light Burgundy rose that was starting to open with large velvet petals and a lovely sweet perfume that would bloomed into a beautiful big flower. It was her favourite flower called Mr. Lincoln (that's what the plaque in front of it said), so he knew she would love it on the tray. He cut a long stem and managed to cut his finger on a thorn in the process.

"Yyyoouuchhh!" he cried in surprise at the sudden stinging sensation in his finger. He put the small wound to his lips to try and stop the bleeding.

He then tried to de-thorn the stem as much as he could. He went back in and places it across the top end of the tray, smiled in satisfaction and then picked it up and carefully headed for the main stairway that lead to the upstairs bedrooms...


	2. A mothers wisdom

Ken found himself drawn back to the present for a moment as he looked at the second question that followed the first one about his mother,

"What was the one thing that stood out the most to you about her?" He read it out loud, and then he thought about this question as he looked away from the screen with his hand to his chin and he sat back in his chair. This journalist was asking for more personal things in his life, at least he had some warning before the interview. He thought to himself

There were a lot of things that he loved about her, she had compassion.

He remembered her appreciation for small things done out of love…

He looked at the flowers his wife had put in a vase earlier that day in the room, the strong scent of the roses was a comfort to him, they reminded him of the two women he loved the most in his life, and they both had the most influence over him in their own way…

His thought went back to that day he made his mother breakfast;

Ken balanced the tray well up the long flight of stairs and then turned and headed down the corridor to his Mother's room. He stopped outside the closed door and assessed that there was no way he was going to open it and hold the tray all at the same time!

So he set the tray down at the corner of the door, and then carefully opened it and peered inside.

She looked like she was still sleeping, so he quietly picked up the tray and was about to go back downstairs, when he heard her soft voice from the room." Is that you, Ken?"

He smiled a little to himself and replied," _Yes Mama it's me_." He couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice, this was a special breakfast and he was happy that she was awake.

The door was still slightly ajar, so he pushed it open with his shoulder as he entered the room.

 _"Can you open the curtains, please darling, it is so dark in here_." He nodded to her request, carefully putting the tray down on the side table next to the bed and going over to the window to let in the bright morning sunlight. He looked back over to her, lying in the bed.

She was looking frail in the sunlight and was squinting a little at the sudden light in the room, but she was softly smiling at him and looking at the tray. He brightened at the smile that she had on her face and went over to help her sit up with pillows behind her and then placed the stable tray gently in her lap.

He smiled almost shyly, but with pride at his accomplished mission, as she eyed the food in front of her." I cooked it for you, Mama. I hope you like Eggs Benedict and freshly squeezed Orange Juice. _"_ She picked up the knife and fork and then a rare look of total joy swept across her whole face and her clear blue eyes glazed over a little as she looked back at him.

 _"You did this all by yourself?"_ He then nodded, feeling a sense of pride at how her eyes lit up at his attempt at cooking, and she continued;

"Oh, I'm so proud of you Ken." She started to slowly cut into the eggs, which he noticed were overcooked and the toast looked to be a bit chewy and slightly burnt, but she didn't say a thing about it as she ate most of the egg dish, that took him four goes to get it almost right, Ken wasn't a quitter, when he set out to do something, he did it right well as close to right in this case as his skills allowed him to be.

Walking over to the window, and looking out at the view, he waited for her to finish. She asked him the question that he hoped she would not bring up.

"Dr. Nambu, had a talk with you last night about me, didn't he? _"_ Ken turned to face her- he noticed she was looking at him over the brim of the glass, finishing the last of the Orange Juice.

He bowed his head a bit, still trying to avoid the topic and walked over to the side of her bed." _Have you finished your breakfast Mama_?" He asked in a quiet voice. Looking at the tray.

" _Yes_ " she replied quietly, as he picked it up leaving the burgundy velvet rose on the side table, and put the tray on the Dressing table across the room.

"Ken, we have to talk about this, I know it is upsetting for you but..."she faltered.

"You're _not_ going to die Mama. I'll take care of you and you'll get better again. _"_ Desperation swelled up in him and he knew it was in his voice as he looked at her face in the mirror of the dressing table. Her blue eyes glazed over and a tear fell onto her cheek.

Everything was going so good this morning, she had looked happy for a short period of time.

He didn't want her to be sad again. she'd been sad since the wreckage of his fathers plane was found years ago.

"Don't cry Mama… please _, I wanted you to be happy today."_ He then turned around and walked back to the bed as she stretched out her arms to him and he climbed onto the bed as she embraced him and planted a kiss into his hair.

"Sometimes we don't always get what we want son," she whispered into his hair." But I'm going to need you to be strong when it comes to this. Death is just another part of life. _I'll always be with you, just like your Father is."_

Ken felt hot tears come to his eyes at the way she was talking. He didn't want to face this pain again so soon. He had cried himself to sleep the night before and woke up that morning determined that she was going to live.

He moved a little to look at her and she wiped away his tears." _You know Ken, Dr. Nambu wants you to become a part of a special team he is putting together. It's going to involve a lot of hard work for you. But I have a lot of faith in you and I know you will do the best job you can. He wants you to become a leader. He see's it in you and so do I. Leadership can be a burden, but don't try to do it alone."_

She ran her fingers through his hair and the corners of her Light Pink Lips turned up." _Promise me you'll keep a soft heart, but a tough skin. Have compassion for people."_ She seemed to brighten up a bit as she talked to him.

He nodded, not fully understanding everything she was asking of him." _One day Ken, if you keep doing things like you did today, you're going to make a girl very happy."_ he then sat back from her and gave his Mother a serious look." _Dr. Nambu said girls were not my focus, not that I like them much, they are so boring, they just want dolls and dresses. You can't spar with them or they start to cry._ "

He screwed up his nose as he pointed out all the bad things about girls, and his Mother laughed at what he was saying. " _There will come a time in your life where a girl will catch your eye, and you will not be saying things like that my son. doesn't know everything about happiness in life. Sure he's a good Sensei and was your Father's closest friend and you should listen to him with those teaching, but always have something to fight for Ken. Love is worth fighting for and it is a risk worth taking."_ He gave her words some serious thought." _Well, O.K if one day I do meet a girl that's not boring to be around, then I hopes she's like you. She'd have to be pretty, and be able to spar with me…"_ He thought for a moment about the kitchen downstairs. _" And cook I hope… But since I'm going to be busy training, I don't think I'll have time for girls._ " he informed her.

She was looking tired again, he could tell by the expression in her eyes and the strength going from her embrace, he was happy she ate as much as she did; normally she had no appetite at all.

She looked at the rose beside her bed and picked it up." My favourite rose, Ken, how thoughtful of you _."_ He watched as she put it to her lips and drew a breath in at the scent. Then she lightly kissed it and tilted it towards him and put it onto his lips. He smiled as she did this." _A Kiss from a Rose,"_ was all she said, it was a special Mother and son moment, and under any other circumstances he probably would have gawked at how corny it was, or he was too old for things like that.

But instead, he just enjoyed the moment with her because she was smiling again, he returned her affection. Then he helped her lay down again to rest, fluffing the pillow, adjusting the blankets.

" _Ken, will you read to me for a while_." Her voice was now weaker again and her eyes were half shut.

" _Sure Ma_." He picked up the Black Covered Bible she indicated to and sat on the edge of the bed and turned to the marked page Proverbs 27:17" _As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another..."_ and began to read to her until he could hear her slow steady breathing that indicated that she was asleep.

He quietly tip-toed over to the dressing table, and picked up the tray and left the roomed. Dr Nambu had left on business for a few days, but Cassie the housekeeper. The nurse, and the Doctor he had employed, would be in later and it was not a good idea to get on Cassie's bad side. He figured he had better try to clean up the mess in the Kitchen before she arrived to start her day. Cassie was scary when the place was in a mess, especially the kitchen.

_Six months later..._

Not long after his Eleventh Birthday the love of his life died, he stood at the grave with Dr. Nambu standing next to him, as the coffin was lowered into the dark hole in the ground.

He wondered if she was lonely there, but she told him she was going to heaven and not to worry, her soul was safe and it was only her body that was being buried. Holding in his torn emotions, and tried to be brave like she asked him to. Hie mimicked DR Nambu's stoic face.

Then he stepped forward, and put the rose that he had picked especially for her that morning from her favourite bush. He had picked the one with the longest stem and was in full bloom, the light burgundy velvet petals looked stunning, he left the thorns on it, a beautiful flower that brought pain from it's thorns. Trembling, the petals brushed his lips as a tear escaped and then threw it into the grave. The trail of its strong scent floated past him, as it left his fingers.

He turned and walked towards the waiting black car with his mentor, and then headed back to the mansion.

Some time later that day Ken stood at the rose bush again, looking at the remaining flowers, some had not bloomed and others were still tight without a sign of colour, waiting for the right moment to show their beauty.

He let his tears fall- because there was no one to see him there and then he tilted one of the flowers towards his lips. He was still wearing the Black Suit from the funeral and couldn't be bothered to change out of it. They were the only thing he had left of her, a bush full of her favourite flowers.

" _What kind of wimp kisses flowers_?" Came the sarcastic voice of another person, who he didn't know was in the garden.

He looked angrily over his shoulder, hard knots forming in his stomach. The kid was an intruder in his need for space. He observed the boy who must have been a little older than himself, looking back at him with Steel Grey eyes and had nasty expression on his face.

Leaning against the wall, across the garden with his arms crossed. He looked like he didn't know how to smile or if he did it would be a rare occasion. Dr Nambu had mentioned another boy was coming to live with them soon, he didn't expect him to be there today of all days.

Ken had wanted to be _alone._

Go away," He snarled. this was _his_ private moment with his mother.

Shoving down the swelling of intense emotions, he slowly turned towards the kid.

"The kind that thinks you're an a _sshole_ ," was his response to the taunt and Ken found himself automatically taking on a fighter's stance.

"You want to fight me wimp, is that it. _"_ The kid confidently moved away from the wall and towards him, butting his fist in his hand.

Ken's anger grew and he sneered back at him" If you keep that big mouth of yours going like it is, _I may have to shut it up_."

The next thing he knew, they were in a fight and Ken was winning, being the more experienced fighter of the two of them.

Taking the nameless kid by surprise. Ken who was a shorter than him could fight so well, and he almost took on an expression of respect during the fight.

"I see you have met _Joseph Asakura_." Dr. Nambu addressed him.

" _Joe,"_ The kid responded quickly," I like to be called _Joe_ ," he was wiping his face with his hand, wincing from the bruises that were developing from Ken's well aimed punches.

 _"_ Hey, ah, you're pretty good to have around in a fight," Joe said, offering Ken his hand. Ken looked at him with disdain, and muttered. _"Whatever_ ," and then walked off to his room while trying to straighten his clothes that were rumpled during the fight.

He heard Dr. Nambu saying something to Joe as he left, but he didn't quite hear the words.

A few hours later, he was sitting in his room staring out the window, avoiding people, when a knock at the door distracted him.

" _Come in,"_ he said, thinking it was Dr. Nambu.

He looked over to see it was Joe, who had walking quietly into the room as ken looked back out the window again, ignoring him at first _." What do you want?_ " he asked him quietly after a few moments of silence.

Joe didn't respond straight away and from the corner of Ken's eye it looked like he was struggling with something.

"I'm sorry about your Mom, I didn't know. I'm sorry for calling you a wimp." He started to say." Look, I ahh, I...well it looks like we are going to be training together and you have a good punch. Could you show me some of the stuff like you did out there today sometime? _"_ In later years, Ken would realize that that was one of the few times that Joe showed true humility, and it was the side of Joe, his best friend and brother that he kept hidden, because Joe regarded it as a weakness.

"Well, we have the latest gaming console in the rumpus room, if you like we can play some games. _"_ Ken offered, suddenly wanting company, the months of his mothers illness had left him emotionally drained and another boy his age in the house, was suddenly a good thing.

Joe cocky grin formed." _I bet I can kick your butt in a racing game_." Ken heard the challenge and stood up and walked out of the room. "You're on, but I bet I can kick yours _harder_ in Fighter Pilot." He shouted behind him as they both ran out to see who would get there first…

He would later learn about Joe's parents, and the horrific explosion taking their lives and it almost claimed his too. He had not long recovered when Dr. Nambu, who had been looking out for him, brought him back to the mansion.


	3. Soft rose bud pink lips

en walked into the new kitchen and opened the fridge and surveyed the contents.

The ambient light of the refrigerator illuminated the darkness around him- he spotted a bottled beer in the door, warmth filled him from the memories it provoked of his days sitting his usual seat at the Snack J with Joe, and Jun on the other side of the counter. Popping the twist top off, the cold liquid hit his senses- bliss.

As he closed the door and walked through the dark house back to his study he thought about one of the other questions the journalist had put in the document on his computer.

He stopped at the door and had a warm feeling go through him as he thought about the memory it provoked, and he wondered how he would answer it for an international magazine.

Apparently millions of people wanted to know this stuff about the Eagle- he sat down at his desk reading the question again as his thoughts drifted back to when he first saw her…

_What was your first impression of the Swan?_

_Memories floated before him of that moment lost in time….._

Three young boys stood gawking out the window at the pretty girl who had just arrived at the mansion, and was walking around the gardens. She hadn't noticed them from his observations.

She hadn't come into the house yet either and for some unknown reason. There was a young boy with her, playing around her, jumping and shouting, as she walked the around the gardens taking it all in.

They discovered his name was Jinpei, because she had scolded him for almost tripping her over in his excitement at the new surroundings.

"So what do you think of her," Joe whispered to Ken with a frown on his face.

Ken didn't look at him when he responded." She looks pretty, but I don't know why Hakase has bought her here. _"_ Surely not to be a part of the team he though to himself.

"Me either…maybe she's the new cook?" Ryu offered from, his position on the other side of Joe.

"Do you ever think about anything other than food?" Joe looked at him with a disgusted look on his face. Ryu just gave him an innocent look, and shrugged his shoulders and went back to looking out the window- Ryu had come to Mansion a few months before and had started his training.

All they knew about her so far was that she was called "Oneechan" by the kid. She had a grace in the way she walked, and she had something about her that he could not put his finger on.

He was fascinated by her, entranced by her, his eyes followed her every move.

Suddenly "Oneechan" walked over to his rose bush. No one knew that he secretly laid claim to it because the smell of the roses reminded him of his mother, boys were not suppose to be sentimental like that, especially a Ninja that was in training to lead a team. He kept that part of his nature secret.

Observing her as closely as he could- she looked to be Japanese, but not fully Japanese due to the shape of her eyes, she was elegant, and petite. Warming him from the way she walked so gracefully like she was about to break into a dance at any moment.

He continued watch her as his fascination grew, she looked at a fully bloomed flower and pulled it to her rose bud pink lips drawing in the scent, standing with her eyes half closed and a dreamy look on her face.

Ken had a warm rush and a sense of connection to her rush through him like a gentle breeze, and from that time on he would always have a secret crush on her.

That single action sent feelings through him that he didn't know existed until that moment.

They had thought Hakase was bringing another boy, and the team would consist of only four team members so the sudden change in plans got the three of them wondering. Well maybe the little boy was not going to be on the team, Ken rationalized to himself.

Their training had been stepped up over the past few months to almost everyday so Ken, Joe and Ryu had figured the new guy who was apparently going to be the explosives expert, was going to have a lot of work to do in catching up with the rest of them.

Dr. Nambu walked into the room behind them and cleared his throat to get their attention.

 _"_ I would like you boys to come down and meet your new team mates… I can see that you know it's a girl and a young boy." He looked at the stunned expressions on each of their faces. The three of them exchanged glances and looked back at the Doctor and waited for him to continue.

" Before you go down let's get one thing straight, she is not to be treated different because she is a girl. She is not a house maid and your cook, I chose her because she has already had some martial arts training at the orphanage, and picks up on things extremely quick.

 _"_ Her IQ level is very high, making her ideal for an explosives expert and science officer _. Am I clear on all this?_ " Ken could feel the doctor's eyes penetrating him as if the doctor could see the crush he had on her already, and they hadn't even met.

He swallowed and tried to bury the emotions that were running through him.

Joe was not put off by the Doctor though." _So what about the kid, are we to become baby sitters or something?"_ Doctor Nambu had obviously been waiting for this question.

" Actually she adopted him as her brother and wouldn't leave without him, he is quick witted though and I believe descended from the Jupiter Ninja Clan in the Himalayas. They were wiped out a few years ago but they had a reputation for starting training from a very young age so he is ideal as a fifth member.

Jun will be G-3 and Jinpei will be G-4… Come on boys they are waiting to meet you. So they all headed downstairs to meet the new teammates.

Joe and Ken raced each other down the long winding stair case, Joe won the race to the bottom only because he slide down on the railing and copped a severe talking from Hakase for doing it. Ken gave him a smug smile as he walked past him to go out the back doors into the garden. Ryu was still making his way down the stairs with Hakase.

Ken stopped and stared at her, she was prettier close up than from the window and he found himself collecting his thoughts and emotions, then he was almost knocked over by the small child running towards him, Ken caught him just in time.

" _Hello there little fella_ " He said as he put him down again, he could feel her watching him as Joe came up behind him.

" _My names Jinpei,_ " he declared looking up at Ken and then put his hand out. Ken took it and they shook hands and smiled warmly at each other _." I'm Ken_ " he introduced himself to Jinpei. A bundle of high energy surround the kid, he couldn't sit still for a minute.

He liked him instantly, then Jinpei ran over to Joe and did the same thing he almost did to Ken but succeed in running straight into him and getting Joe in the groin doubling him over.

That scored Jinpei a swift snack in the head, and a dagger filled Condor stare that Joe would become famous for as he grunted with pain and tried to stand up, the little boy who could be no more than 5 years old burst into tears.

" _Jinpei_!" she called out to him in distress, and came running over saying something to him saying in a concerned voice about him being more careful, and she shot Joe a look that said volumes about his response to Jinpei's action.

She was not happy with him." He's only a little boy- you didn't have to hit him so hard!" She stood there with her hands on her hips and glared at Joe, by this time had managed stand up again.

"You should learn to control the brat better… _Oneechan._ " He added sarcastically.

Ken didn't know if he should laugh or act concerned at the predicament his brother was in. Joe could be rude and have a bad temper at times and Ken understood he needed to be pulled in line for it, so he chose to stay neutral, but he figured it was time to step in.

" _Hi, I'm Ken._ " She looked over at his extended hand, and relaxed a little accepting it like an olive branch, keeping Joe in the corner vision of her eye.

" _I'm Jun,_ " was all she said.

Ryu waved to them as he walked over" _Hi Jun, I'm Ryu"_ Jinpei had found another victim and sprinted over to the big guy- he hit him like a wall.

Ryu picked him up and threw him playfully over his shoulder, gave him a light smack on the bottom, that made Jinpei roar with laughter and he carried him inside the house.

Jun watch the two new partners in crime depart, and turned to look at Ken and Joe.

Joe looked at her," _Sooo…_ Your name is Jun huh…well keep that brat of a kid outta my way and things will be peaceful around here, _"_ and with that, Joe walked off.

"What's his problem?" She said to Ken still watching the departing Joe?

Ken shrugged "You'll get used to him, do you want to come inside for a hot chocolate? _"_ He offered as he jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and looked at the ground.

"By the way, _"_ he added,"welcome to the team. _"_

When he looked up she was smiling at him and giggle a little and gave him a wink, her green eyes had a sparkle to them, and it was an expression that he would come to love about her.

" _I love hot chocolate."_ And they began to walk inside together talking about her journey to the Mansion…

_###################_

_A few years later…._

By sixteen Ken has defiantly begun to truly noticing girls, he watched but didn't touch. His focus was solely on his training. Joe had other ideas, he figured he could play the field and train without a hitch. Jun must have felt the same...

For young teenagers this can be hard, and Ken had noticed that Jun was going motor bike riding with a guy called Koji. He didn't like him much, and it was mainly because he was treading on his turf.

It was a few days before Valentine's Day, when she came running into the Mansion and ran up to her room crying- slamming the door shut behind her. _Thunk..._

Jinpei was the only one to go up and see her- the other three knew to keep their distance when she was this angry. All of them would get was a tongue lashing.

"She's so _emotional._ " Ryu muttered under his breath as he ate his sandwich.

Jinpei came down later and told then that Koji broke up with her and had left Utoland. Ken was secretly happy to hear it. She was only fourteen after all, her focus should be on training, and she was _his_ girl.

No one else knew that, not even Jun.

She didn't know he looked at her that way, but to him it was true even if he had to keep it a secret. A secret that would become a habit for him not to show her any real attention as the years went by.

_**14th February a few days later** …_

The training session had not gone well that morning as Ken observed his team, their times were poor, frustrated he had to push them harder.

They had been training in birdstyles for sometime now, and if they were called into action this could cost one of them their life and it was the last thing he wanted to see happen to any of them.

So he had called for extra time as they all protested to this he silenced them with one hand. Pointing out that in battle they would not get a second chance.

So for another hour they went through the routines of the fighting Kata's that they had memorized. The times had improved by the end of it, but when he looked over at a forlorn Jun it tugged him inside.

The word Valentines Day, left her lips when Jinpei asked her what was wrong.

He'd forgotten all about it.

Joe was eager to get out, he had a date apparently with a pretty girl from the race track, so Joe was gone as soon as they were finished.

He figured it was because of Koji. Jun was a sensitive girl, and he knew that she had a romantic side to her. If only he could show he did too.

Guys like Koji couldn't ever love her like he did. Choosing to ignore the day, and pretend he was ignorant of her feelings. When they got back to the mansion she said she was going for a ride on her motorbike and left straight away.

He went out to the garden with a pair of scissors, he had thought about a way to make her smile, he loved her smile and it made him glow inside to see it. He had a card in his room he had bought days before but didn't know how to give it to her, he figured it would just stay there in his draw.

So he picked a rose from the his mothers rose bush. It seemed to bloom more roses than any other in the garden. On his secret mission stealthing, through the house in the shadows. He looked silently into the rumpus room, Jinpei and Ryu were playing Nintendo.

Sneaking up to her bedroom, he and went to go in, when he realized that she had a lock put on her door.

Damn it! He thought and then another avenue to get in occurred to him. He went outside and looked up at her window, it time to be Romeo.

It was high up on the third floor of the mansion. Easy leap he figured. He put his wrist in front of his face and finished the transmutation sequence with, "bird go."

He put the rose between his teeth after carefully taking of some of the thorns a few swift maneuvers and summersaults, landing gently onto the ledge near her window. As a precaution he peered inside, and noticed the window was unlocked.

Grinning with the rose still between his teeth, he opened the window with one hand.

I bet she didn't think we would try to come in this way. He thought.

He jumped of the ledge and into her sanctuary, stopping for a moment to look around. It suddenly occurred to him that she never invited any of them in here.

Jinpei came in to say good night or talk for a while, but not him, Joe or Ryu.

He took the rose from his teeth and put it to his lips and placed it on the bed with the card.

In the card he wrote, " _A kiss from a rose, just for you my love."_ Corny, but it all he think of to say.

He almost left straight away when something oh her desk caught his attention. He walked over to get a closer look at the piece of paper that she had scribbled on. It had business names written several times in a few different signatures. He could the feel the heat rising inside of him from snooping.

Did she feel the same way about him? 

If they were never needed as a team, then maybe he would be able to tell her in the next year or so how he felt about her. He glanced at the books on her table.

They had titles like" Accounting for small business" and"How to run a profitable bar and grill." He noticed she was doing an online business course as well. She was so much smarter than the rest of them that was for sure.

They had been told to think about their covers outside of the mansion, and he had planned to move out soon to live at the airfield his father had left him, but then he didn't want to be far from her.

In a moment of growing a consciousness of being in her personal space, he felt like an intruder. His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of a key in the door and he moved like lightning to the window and out on the ledge. He didn't have time to close the window properly, and moved a little further along the ledge.

He heard her voice coming from inside the room. " _Ohhh how sweet._ " Then there was silence." _A Kiss from a rose._ " Her voice came as whisper as she read the card.

He tried to imagine a dreamy smile on her face as she read the card.

The the penny dropped. _"But how did he get in…"_

_I wonder if its Jinpei playing a joke." She sighed._

He moved and a loose tile threatened to give away his position. Panic rose inside of him, he didn't want her to know it was him.

Then he heard the window start to open and had to take deceive action. He looked up, and did a back flip up to the extended roof grabbing a hold of the gutter to flip himself over to a squatting position. From there he could see her look out the window and down to the ground.

He moved back a little so he would not be seen if she looked up.

" _Well… whoever you are…"_ She said out the window." _Thank you, you made me happy and feel very special today_." Then she went back inside her room, he walked over to the other side of the roof and he dove off the edge feeling like he was flying like a real Eagle…


	4. Double dating

Ken took another sip of his cool beer as he survey the questions again, he had actually begun to put some of his thoughts down on paper.

He was relaxed, leaning back in his leather chair, and he had begun to wonder if his wife would be down any minute to see why he hadn't come to bed yet.

The thought bought a warm smile to his lips. He imagined her lying there, waiting for him in her skimpy nightie warming him inside. The questions were at least they were good memory joggers, and helped him try to put something down for the book

_They wanted to know about his love life as a teenager?_

The memories pouring in of those years. Bolting upright in his chair, chuckling, and almost spilling his beer. He was definitely _not_ going to have those experiences put into an international magazine for the entire world to read about.

What would people think if they knew the mighty Gatchaman was shy with women, not because he was gay. But because he had spent his childhood and teenage years totally focused on saving the planet?

If it didn't fit into that schedule, than Ken didn't make time, besides past the initial attraction, he found he had nothing in common with them- and it made keeping a secret identity more complicated.

Joe always found the time, but then that was Joe, and he never really cared for rules. He had been going down to the race track for years to learn how to be the best driver, even before he began to race professionally as his cover.

He remembered the time Joe roped into going on a double date that one was hard to forget, he was eighteen, and it was weeks before the war with Galactor began….

He sat in the restaurant opposite Jessica, she was giving him flirty doe looks, with soft green eyes framed with long dark lashes and thick mascara. He could see that she had gone to a lot of effort with her appearance for their date, which he complimented her on when he picked her up from her house earlier in the evening.

Adjusting her short skirt, she ran her fingers through her reddish long hair.

He casually cast his second in command, a side look to see how he was going, he was completely relaxed with his date. But Joe always had a way with women, Ken had met Jessica at the racing track two days ago when he was watching Joe competing in a race, he had wanted see how his skills were developing for missions.

He thought that Jessica was a pretty girl and she could hold conversation enough for the two of them.

They probably wouldn't even be sitting in this lovely Italian restaurant if it wasn't for Joe and his bright ideas…

After the race results were finalized Joe came over to meet up with him.

Kristen, the Condor's latest girlfriend was his arm as they walked over to join him and Jessica.

It turned out that Jessica and Kristen were best friends, and somehow during the 10 minutes that followed he ended up being manipulated by Joe into taking her out on a double date with him and Kristen.

It was probably more like the girls idea, but the Eagle still couldn't remember who asked who out on this date.

He looked over and smiled at her as dessert was bought out to the table, dinner was good so far, Jessica was a flirting with him and was fluttering her long dark lashes as she look up at him with her green eyes and her blond hair was skillfully styled in curls that framed her face, and from the way her top buttons of her blouse were undone she had a few assets, he had found out that she was a year younger than him, but she had an annoying tendency to laugh at everything he said;

Whether he thought it was funny or not. Still as Joe had told him he had to give her a chance, so he decided to relax and enjoy the evening.

This was the only time he had been on a real date He never made time for a social life beyond flying and training, studying leadership and tactics, battle strategy.

This all came down to a conversation a few weeks before at Joe's trailer that led to a topic that Ken didn't like to talk about, so when Joe found out his well guarded secret…well Joe had been pushing him on dates with girls ever since.

This was the first time he succeeded at getting Ken to go out beyond the new Snack J as a social venue. He liked his spot at the bar were he could talk to Jun and get a free beer, she gave him a bar tab…

Ken looked back at the big piece of rich chocolate with lush dark chocolate fudge icing and whipped cream sitting between them.

He didn't want dessert, but she did and he noticed Joe was feeding a piece to Kristen from a fork, and the girl was giving Joe lustful looks as he returned her smiles of what was to come later between them.

Ken swallowed uncomfortably and looked back at his date who was watching him intently; he tried to smile as he put a piece of cake on the dessert fork and feed it to Jessica.

Her eyes were looking at him in a way that was suggesting she was having thoughts about him. This was new territory for the Eagle and his instincts told him to proceed with caution, especially since she had leaned forward to take a mouthful and was exposing just enough of a black lacy bra that got his attention, he tried not stare at her cleavage.

A few moments later the cake was finished, after she decided it was her turn to feed it him which made him feel like a two year old, but he guessed she might like it and it was fun, well…maybe, he thought.

Then it was time to leave, and Ken and Joe went over to pay the bill while the girls waited outside.

Joe cornered him and asked the question.

"So do you like her, you two seem to be hitting it off Okay." He grimaced at Joe's smug expression before replying.

"Yeah she's cute… I've only known her for two days bro _,"_ he stated to him looking at the girls outside, Jessica was waving at him through the window.

Joe it appeared had a plan, and he told Ken his strategy.

"Why don't you follow us in your car to the lookout just outside of town, that way you can get to know her a better…? _"_ Ken had his back by now to the window so she couldn't see his face and was thinking about what Joe was suggesting to him.

" _I_ …I...Don't know if that's wise, she's ahhh _."_ He couldn't find the words he was looking for so Joe found them for him.

" What she's a little bit _forward_?" Joe questioned "Common, get your head out of those study books and have some fun for a change… you might even enjoy it _._ " Joe was getting cocky at this point, and Ken figured he was enjoying himself at the Ken's expense.

Ken gave it one last try "Wouldn't I be cramping your style?"

Joe chuckled. "Not at all bro…I'll just park the G-2 a little further down from you and Jessica…so we don't disturb you. _"_ He said as they headed for the door Joe's tone had changed by the end of that last statement to the confident, Sicilian who knew women couldn't resist his charms, and Ken reluctantly agreed to follow them to the lookout. What harm could there be in it, beside maybe Joe was right she was a hot looking woman.

###########

_20 minutes later…_

Awkward wasn't the word he wanted to apply to his feelings, but it was the truth, as they pulled up at the lookout. Clearing his throat, he figured they could just talk and get to know each other a bit more rather than rushing into anything.

He had no strategy for this, so he found himself having to wing it- was not a good move for a commander who liked to be in control in all situations. This one he felt was totally out of his control, as she moved over the gear shift, and snuggled up to him from the passenger side of the car.

"It would be more comfortable in the back seat." She indicated.

He fumbled, shifting nervously in his seat. "Ahh... engines still running. We'd miss the view."

He stared at the dashboard in silence as he killed the engine- she had dominated the conversation, all the way there with trivial chatter. Relieved because it saved him from finding topics to talk about.

He found they had very little in common, but he was here anyway so he figured he had better be polite.

" It's a good view of the city from here, don't you think? _"_ It was all he could come up with as he stared out the front windscreen of the car into the black canvas before him dotted with coloured lights of the city below.

"Yes it is, but I'm not looking at the city _."_ Her soft voice had an underlying invitation in it, he looked over to find that she had moved in even closer to him, her moist breath brushing his cheek.

Then she hopped over into the back seat of the car and indicted that he follow her, he drew in a deep breath, covering his nervous feelings, and joined her in the back seat of his car.

She moved in for the kill, snuggling her curves against him. He was as male as any another guy in this kinda situation.

He put his arm around her and tried to think of something to say. She smelled good, perfume and feminine products.

The only affection he had from a girl or a woman was from Jun since his mother died, and that was a rare thing. It only happened on a birthday or special occasion, and then it was a brief cuddle or a kiss on the cheek, he often wondered if she only saw him as a brother and nothing more, since he knew that she had gone on a few dates just a few months before from Jinpei, just after she opened the Snack J. So he hung around there to keep an eye out for potential threats.

He was snapped out of his wandering thoughts by the hand that had gone under his shirt. Tingling sensations eclisped him, she felt good. Feeling his tight muscles, she was softy moaning as she ran her hand up his chest, she was warm and he had felt himself relaxing.

Her face was moving closer to his and the next thing he knew they were kissing deeply tongues dancing he moved in. Wonderful sensations shot through him- since this was his first time he hoped he wasn't disappointing to her.

But she seemed to have the upper hand in this situation, and it appeared more experience, so he let her take the lead.

It was turning him on, and he began to feel his jeans tighten. She continued to search his mouth, and take off his shirt- running her fingers through his hair, he did _not_ want her to stop.

She licked her sultry lips, and undid her blouse to fully expose the black lacy bra, releasing her soft breasts he touched her. Dropping her clothing to floor. Ken knew were this was going and a new panic set in, he had never done this before, and how do you tell a girl you are a virgin? He wondered.

For girls it was something they could admit to, but a guy was suppose to be the experienced one to guide them, Ken just had no time for dating, let alone study anything on how to please a woman in bed.

Joe gave him a few pointers from his own experience with women, but all that went out the window in this moment.

He could do this he thought, he had instincts to guide him.

Her perky breasts tasted good. They were a good two handfuls at least from his observation.

"You look like you've never seen a woman's breasts before _?"_ She whispered in his ear again.

" _Just not yours,"_ he answered quietly. He caressed them with his broad hands, his jeans were getting unbearably tight.

He must have been doing it right, with the foreplay around her breasts, because she let some desirable moans escape. Said his name a few times and then she undid his fly. Just after she lost her skirt to reveal a tiny black mini v-string that didn't really cover anything. He was there physically from the swelling between his legs.

Then he remembered he didn't have protection with him. Talk about being unprepared for the mission- and he didn't want some girl turning up on his door step nine months later. His practical side took over.

He quietly mentioned this, and she reached for her purse and smiled as she looked down at him naked before her. Openly admiring his physic. 

" _Ohhhmyyyy,"_ she moaned. "You're strong." She was impressed, running her fingers over his biceps, as she went down on him and began to give him pleasure that made him expressed it in words- and then she suddenly stopped.

Why was she stopping? He wondered.

" _Jun…who's Jun._ " She said with a questioning look in her face. He looked back at her not realizing what he had said and tried to rectify the situation. " _Ahhh no one.... Jessica."_ Dismissing it. Lust taking over, she assisted with the condom- as he slipped off the V-string she positioned herself on top of him.

He had a rush of amazing sensations, she moved with his thrusts. He felt his body give way from the overwhelming pleasure, she was loud in her responses to him, shuddering on top of him, the rush of the climax hit like a freight train.

He cried out again expressing his emotions, and then she pulled off him completely… again.

" _You just said her name again..."_ He looked into her green eyes. "You saw another woman while making love to _me_."

" _Jun…ahh I …ahhh ..mean Jess_.."But by this time she was hostile- and putting on her clothes with an insulted expression on her face.

" _Jessica I'm sorry,"_ he was saying, as she shrugged him off opening the door of the car, issuing a few harsh words of how he used her- storming off down the road.

Racing to get his clothes back on, it was a complete disaster, and was not how he pictured his first time with a woman.

"Wait." He called out to her.

By this time she was over it, clenching her jaw tight, over her shoulder she yelled. "Loser... your a loser _KEN._ "

By this time Joe, had wound down his steamy window wondering what the hell Ken had done.

Joe shouted. "Call me if you need back up, its looking dangerous out there." His girlfriend wound the window back up, and the car started rocking again.

He climbed over to the driver's side, and started the car. driving after her, he wound down the window. "Get in and I'll take you home."

She glared daggers in his direction- He deserved it.

"Its a long walk... " He indicated down the road. "Its foolish to walk out here by yourself."

Common sense finally sank in. She hopped into the passenger seat. He suddenly felt relieved to be taking her home.

He stole a look at the G-2 that was parked a bit further down that was rocking and fogged up windows.

He had to give Joe credit where it was due with women, he thought as he shook his head, which got him another tongue lashing from her.

##################

The atmosphere in the car was thick all the way back to her house. Without a word, she jumped out of his car, storming up the driveway.

He drove back to his shack at the airfield, he called home.

That was not how he wanted to experience his first time making love to a woman- Epic fail.

He didn't love Jessica for a start, she defiantly had assets and a figure that a guy and would want. When gave it further thought, she wasn't his type.

He wanted love to be a part of the experience as well, and that night he had established that he was not a one night stand kinda guy. He really wanted it to be special, not a quick fling in the backseat of his car.

Walking to his door, Jun's lovely sweet face flashed into his thoughts, in an unforeseen moment he felt like he had been unfaithful to her.

He walked into his shack and stripped of his clothes and got into the shower wanting to wash off the smell and feel of Jessica. The warm soapy water running over his body, he couldn't shake the images of Jun in his mind.

Wasn't he a normal eighteen year old male? He wondered, shouldn't sex be all he thought about? When he got the chance he should just go for it, and forget about Jun.

He wanted to talk about it, but Joe was not the right person, he would tell him he was crazy.

Besides, to tell Joe about how he failed tonight…it was humiliating to know that he was this hopeless…He did not, at that time, want any more of the Condors advice on women.

Jun, the one unobtainable girl who probably was not interested in him that way. Still he could not bring himself to talk to her about this issue either since it was her name he was calling tonight.

He was Gatchaman, and he had a gut feeling they were all going to be called into serious action very soon.

That would mean an end to any real personal life- like he had one anyway. He was also her Commander, and all the males of the team had been warned on more than one occasion to keep a distance from her.

He also had one on one talk's with Hakase that he was not to give her special treatment because she was a girl.

Still that would not stop him from keeping her on the God Phoenix if he felt she would be in real danger, and he would take her with him if it meant he could ensure she would be safe from harm in a battle against the rising Galactor threat.

If he couldn't show her openly he cared more for her than friendship he would have to find other ways.

They had been doing information collection missions and surveying the activity of this syndicate, they were still trying to find out who was leading them.

Ken got out of the shower and dried off and went to bed, as he lay there with his hands behind his head looking at the ceiling Jun's face drifted before him and dreamt about her that night lying in a green field with her dark hair spread around her, she was looking up at him with a dreamy smile as he leaned down to kiss her... 


	5. Red and yellow flowers

Ken sat looking intently at the rose sitting in the vase, He was thinking about the first war against Sosi X and Berg Katse. He was young and full of hope that they could conquer this enemy without losing any of the people he cared about in the process.

It was naive of him to think that way.

He knew that now in hindsight is a wonderful thing after the event, to feel you could have acted differently.

People still remembered the incident with the Jigo Killers, apparently many women still would not go out on rainy nights for fear they would come back. Even if they did, they knew how to defeat them now.

He sat there looking at the red flower in the vase as his mind wondered back to that time and how the man he would later find out was his father knocked some sense into him. He would still grieve for his father when he did a suicide mission later on, but they never got to be father and son, he never got to know the man underneath the soldier.

Ken had decided that it was not the way he would treat his children he would find another way to discipline them, and he wanted to see them grow. But then they were in a time of war and his father was a warrior first…

Ken lay there on the ground going in and out of consciousness for sometime, his bruised ribs ached were Red Impulse had hit him and he could feel the bruises on his face as the agony of what had happened that day took over him.

The Red impulse Captain found him out in the field after he had ignored 's call and tried to knock some sense into him, he tried to fight the Captain with his anger, but he was stronger and more in control that Ken was.

Eventually Ken was winded, and his strength went as he fell against his plane.

The Captain called him a coward for running away from his responsibilities as Gatchaman, " _Your not fit to be the Leader of the Science Ninja Team"_  He spat at him, Ken knew he was right, and it made him angrier.

So he lay there on the ground after he knew he had been beaten, pain going through his bruised body, and he took it because he felt he deserved it for following Dr Nambu's orders so blindly.

Red Impulse told him to go and find his team mate, that there was not enough evidence that she was dead, his team mate, this was how he had to look at her.

His teammate, not a woman he cared very deeply for in a way that he shouldn't.

Through the pain his thoughts kept going over the decisions he had made that resulted in her death…

He stood on the hill watching the mass of red flowers in the field below; she was in one of them somewhere in that field.

Dr Nambu was giving them an order to destroy the field with fire. The rest of the team would have nothing to with it. This is where leadership became a lonely painful place to be, and Ken knew he would be on his own with this.

" _Then it looks like I'm flying solo,_ " he turned to look into the shocked faces of the other three team members.

Then Joe acted quickly, and punched him hard across the face sending him flying to the ground.

He was now feeling that blow to his face again and again as he lay there on the cold grass outside of his shack.

" _You can't be serious_?" Joe yelled at him, as it echoed in his mind, over and over…

But Ken knew that it had to be done, millions of women could die… Not just Jun.

So he ran and got in his plan and headed for the skies before he had time to think about it and change his mind.

He looked out at the sea of red flowers below him as he released his fuel tanks over them.  _"I'll use the fuel from my beloved plane…"_ All he could see was her face, and memories that he carried with him over the years.

He tried in his mind to justify to her why he had to do this.

He was changing from what he once was, and he didn't know if he liked what he was becoming as a result of the orders he was giving and obeying.

There was a time were he could never do something so deliberate to take her life when he had tried so hard to keep her out of danger.

Then Joe contacted him telling him to get out of the way while they launch a Bird Missile, he was no longer on his own the team were sharing this burden with him.

"Ohh JUN", he cried inside as Joe had launched the bird missiles to cause the fire that he knew would end her precious life.

He had almost backed out once he was in the air, but she would have told him that the defeat of Galactor was what they had to do.

They had been trained for these situations, he had been trained to give these kinds of orders but nothing prepares you for how you will feel, and the anguish and guilt that follows.

There is pain that you can never really forget, and to lose a person so close to your heart, and to be the one who gave the order that made it so…

Back on the ground standing with the rest of the team, Ken stood looking at the burning field with unbelievable pain filling him.

The only way to let it out was to cry out."Gggaaallllaccctooor" But his heart cried out " _Jun"_  The rest of the team had wanted nothing to with this order, and at this point in time it had been the hardest he had ever made. He never wanted the burden of it again, little did he know the worse was yet to come, he would one leave a friend to die alone…

Later that day they were all back at the Snack J, Joe, Ryu, Jinpei did not know the depth of his feelings for Jun.

Maybe Jinpei has guessed, and that was why he always teased her about him, but how could they know that this was the last thing he wanted to do.

His heart froze as he carried out the orders, he needed her back to fill it again and bring warmth to defrost it.

The grief on Jinpei's face as he sat at the bar at the Snack J started to tear him apart on the inside and he had a sudden need to run from it.

Ryu tried to talk some sense into him, Ryu was right in what he said, but he was not ready to hear him.

Joe called out him as he walked away, bitter angry words about Jinpei growing hate in his heart for Galactor to seek revenge for her death… It was too much.

He finally managed to drag himself to his feet and began to slowly walk back to his shack, other thoughts and some that began to make him simmer inside from the hurt they were causing him.

What he could have done to stop her?

He should have guessed from the thoughtful look on her face when she was looking at the protective suit that she had a plan, why she didn't tell him her plan was beyond him.

He thought she trusted him; he could have protected her on the mission if she was going to investigate the flowers, and this whole thing would not have happened.

When he walked into the shack his bracelet was beeping, and he knew it was Dr. Nambu but he could not face him again at that moment.

It had been days already since they lost her, and his heart was giving out on him.

He had taken of the bracelet, and had left it on the table as he ran outside to escape the responsibility of taking her life.

But as he looked at it again he realized it was a _Bird scramble!_

" She is alive" he thought as relief washed over him and he felt himself brighten, and he began to think straight again. If she was alive, then the team had to move quickly and he had not time to waste moping around here!

They moved through the abandoned Willy city looking for clues to the whereabouts of the Galactor base, it had to be in the city some where.

Finally they sat waiting for some clue in the underground subway, Ken waited for the bird scramble to come again, he willed her to try and contact them.

Then the bird scramble came, and they moved out as fast as they could to find her, the base was located in the underground sewer…

When he was finally face to face with her again his feelings were almost overwhelming, so what did he do?

He slapped her!

After he did it he wondered why, instead of taking her into his arms and telling her never to do that to him again.

What a complete bastard he was, no wonder her could never hold a relationship with a woman, he couldn't even treat the one he loved with respect after what had happened to her.

The worse part was that he didn't feel he could apologize for such discipline without losing face in front of the rest of the team. He had to treat her same as any of the boys.

So he turned away and walked to the edge of the tunnel and reported to Dr Nambu and watched the rain fall that carried the virus to kill the red flowers.

Her soft voice spoke behind not of the danger of almost losing her life, but of how she wished they could have found the way to destroy the flowers sooner…

She never spoke much about her capture to any of them, he read her report on it, but always felt there was something she was leaving out.

She was distant for a while from them, and at times had sadness to her eyes that worried him while she worked behind the bar at the Snack J.

He also noticed she didn't go out on dates any more; it was something that nagged at him for some time after…

Then his father, who he found out, was Red Impulse died, and it was gone from his thoughts.

Yellow Flowers…

He had wondered outside to get some fresh air, and he tried to put the thoughts and guilt from his mind, it was over now and she was safe.

He had managed to write about it for the book and found he had managed at least ten pages on the subject.

The wind picked up a little and he could smell salt in the gentle breeze coming from the ocean that was not to far away, it was refreshing and he had thoughts of going to bed when a magazine that she had left on a chair caught his attention.

Ken walked over and he had a sudden rush of feelings go through him that he had not felt for a long time as he looked at the picture of the bride in the women's magazine.

She looked as beautiful as he remembered, and she looked very happy next to the man in the photo, who was obviously her new husband; she was carrying yellow and pink flowers.

"Rumi!" he whispered out loud. He had not thought of her in a long time…

Ken could not believe he was holding Rumi so close when the building exploded.

The feelings that she awakened in him were almost overwhelming, so he found himself apologizing to her.

Rumi was more beautiful in person than in the picture that he saw at her father's house, and the emotions that drove him to find her were something that surprised him.

He had to go alone on this, how could he bring Jun with him to rescue Rumi knowing the confusing emotions he felt at seeing her picture.

The stupid idiot that he was punched her before he realized it was her.

It was wonder she didn't hit him back, instead they stood there looking at each other.

Katse got away with the data while he was busy finding Rumi, but Katse had ordered her execution and Ken could not let that happen.

So he waited with her at the train station, making small talk while they waited for her father.

It took every resolve in his body not to just take his helmet off and kiss her.

It had been a long time since he had felt this way about another woman, and Rumi, by just standing so close to him asking him to reveal his identity to her was a hard thing to bear.

Lucky her father arrived just in time before he really did take of his helmet and act on his emotions, Dr Boromo's arrival gave him a chance to make a quick exit and onto the train without being seen by either of them.

That was until he saw her walk through the door into the vestibule area that he was standing in trying to keep away from her.

She looked at him a way that he thought she could see straight through him, and see his identity, but she did not say a word as she walked by him very closely.

The smoldering look that her blue eyes gave him sent butterflies through his stomach and he began to remind himself of his duty, that it was good she did not recognize him.

He could not get involved with her even if he wanted to.

It was self preservation, and his commitment to his job that was holding him back still his emotions were running wild just having this beautiful girl with long auburn tresses and big blue eyes standing so close to him.

She dropped a pale yellow flower with a pink centre onto the ground as she walked past him.

He waited until she was gone before he picked it up and stared at its beauty, the flower reminded him of another reason he craved peace so much.

He wanted to be able to give his heart and find love; instead he had committed his youth to fighting Galactor.

Three days later…

Ken sat in his usual place at the bar at the Snack J lost in his thoughts as usual.

He still wasn't over his encounter with Rumi, the flower she had left had wilted but it was still a glass on his desk at the shack.

It was very late in the evening but he didn't care, he just wanted to stay right were he was sitting, feeling miserable.

Jinpei had gone to Ryu's mariner Joe was racing that night, so it was just him and Jun in the bar and a few patrons.

He was staring into his glass holding it in one hand with the other resting on the counter when he felt a soft small hand cover his.

Ken looked up into concerned emerald green eyes and tried to find a smile for Jun without any success.

" _Ken, you haven't been yourself lately, what's bothering you?"_  He looked back at his empty beer glass and contemplated on getting another one, only his tab was getting pretty high.

"  _I don't know,_ " he lied. " _Just a frustrated that we can't get ahead on this war I suppose…"_ Jun nodded on that one.

She understood that frustration. Then he had an idea to help him forget Rumi.

" _Jun, are you closing soon?"_  She did a quick look around as the last customers were preparing to leave, _" Right now I guess,"_ And she looked back at him and smiled warmly and he felt his spirit lift.

" _Do you want to go to a movie?"_  He had never asked her out before but now looked like a good time, friends can enjoy a movie together.

"  _Sure Ken, that sounds great, what do you want go and see. We should be able to make the last session._ " He felt himself brighten more as she locked the door as the last patron walked out and turned to face him and waited for him to get up from his seat.

" _I hear the latest Bond movie is still showing, let's get moving"_  She looked excited at the prospect of going out, and they decided to take her bike, he hoped on behind and put his hands on her small waist as they rode into town.

He found he was looking forward to doing something different, and it felt incredibly right that it was Jun he was going out with.

They got their tickets just as the movie was starting, and made their way to find seats with popcorn buckets and Cola drinks; they sat near the back of the cinema.

He stole a glace at her half way through the movie as Bond did a daring jump from a building after a villain, and was about get into his new sports car that had every gadget under the sun to chase him down.

The soft flicker of light from the screen made he soft features glow and he almost put his arm around her, but he stopped himself just in time. She caught him looking at her and he made some comment on the action scene about Joe wanting to trade the G-2 for a Bond car to cover himself, and looked back at the screen.

He wondered if they would ever make a movie about Gatchaman and the Science Ninja Team…

They walked out talking about the movie; they both enjoyed a good James Bond movie.

As they walked back to her bike he took a risk and put his arm lightly around her shoulder.

Jun looked a little surprised at this action but didn't say anything.

Ken didn't want the evening to end and as they got on the bike to head back to the Snack J he gave her different directions that lead them to a beach not far from the city.

They got off the bike, and with the full moon the soft blue light on the sand made it luminous as the walked along the beach together with their shoes off in silence.

" _Thanks for coming to the movies with me Jun"_  breaking the silence as he looked over at her to see if he could pick what she was thinking.

" _I should be thanking you, it's been a long time since I have been to a movie… or out with anyone."_  She stopped a little ahead of him and looked at the waves breaking on the beach, then closed her eyes for a moment as if listening intently to the sounds around her.

She looked beautiful in the moonlight, the contrast of her soft creamy white skin that made her in that moment look like a Geisha with her long black hair that was being lifted by the wind, delicate lashes sitting softly on her face and her petal pink lips slightly turned up at the corners.

He wondered what she would look like in a kimono, and he had an image of them sitting together doing a traditional tea ceremony.

He waited for to start dancing in traditional Japanese Geisha style.

Butterflies ran lose within him and warm sensation crept through him as he watched her. She was breathtaking…

Then she opened her eyes and turned her head towards him and smiled." _It is so peaceful here don't you think Mr. Bond_?" And he let out a chuckle at being called that.

Then he put his hand to his chest and made his thumb and index finger into a gun. " _You will not escape me this time my dear,"_  so as answer to his challenge she went into a fighters stance.

They circled each other for a moment looking for an opening, and Jun made the first move but he blocked her attack, and quickly moved in for the kill with a kick that she deflected with a lower block.

Then she tried to leg sweep him, which she succeed in doing and they both went crashing to the sand laughing.

She collected herself from under him, and before he could get up she began to tickle his feet. He didn't tell anyone how ticklish his feet really are, but she had found the weakness.

"  _I have you now Mr. Bond,"_  she said as he was trying to get her away from his feet.

"  _You only think you do Miss Money penny,_ " and he used his legs to pin her down and went for her armpits.

While he was occupied with getting her ticklish, she managed to bring her knee up into his stomach and sent him rolling off her.

It was a good move, and she sprang to her feet and began to run along the beach towards the rocks at the end.

It took him a few moments to get up, and he excelled after her catching her around the waist and picking her up and spinning them both around, Jun was squealing with delight before she found her feet again.

Then they began to spar again.

He didn't know how long it went on for, but after a while they collapsed onto the sand.

They were lying on their backs close to each other looking at the stars in silence," _Do you think we will go there someday?"_  she whispered as if someone might over hear.

"  _I don't know"_  he replied feeling sleepy and content.

They dozed for a while close to each other before she elbowed him in the ribs.

He woke from his half sleep, and saw that she was propped up on her elbow facing him as he looked over at her.

She smiled at him" _Do you want to climb up there?_ " He looked at the rocks that she was pointing to that lead to a headland above them.

It was not a long climb to the top, and before he could answer Jun was already starting to climb" _I suppose so_ " he shouted after her coming to his feet.

Their shoes sat at the base of the rocks, and they both climbed bare foot to the top of the headland.

It was then that he realized they had been out all night, because as he reached the top she was already looking at the light stains of sunlight that glowed pink that were just showing on the far horizon.

She was rubbing her bare arms, and he walked up behind her and ran he hands along her arms to try and warm them, taking her folded hands into his and they stood there watching the sunrise.

Jun relaxed into his embrace, and her head rested against his chest.

Ken wondered if she could hear the fast rhythm of his beating heart at being able to hold her like this for the first time ever.

Rumi faded from his memory… and he knew Jun was the only woman he could ever feel this comfortable with.

There was no awkwardness with her."  _It's a beautiful sunrise isn't it_ " she almost whispered as if she was saying it to herself.

"  _Yes, it is very beautiful,_ " he whispered as he looked at the young woman in his arms he was not talking about the sunrise, a light breeze moved her hair from her long delicate neck exposing the skin.

And without thinking he leaned down and planted a kiss there.

He felt her stiffen in his arms a little by the touch, and then he realized he was overstepping his boundaries.

He let go of her and began to quickly climb back down the rocks to the beach.

" _Ken,"_  she called out after him," _Ken …Ken wait,_ " but he ignored her, and picked up his shoes when he reached the beach again, and began walking back to her bike.

She managed to catch up with him and grabbed a hold of his arm and stopped him as she moved in front of him with a questioning look on her face that he had come to know well.

" _I know Jun…I should not have done that._ " But before she responded to him his bracelet started to beep.

He quickly bought it up to his lips and spoke into it" _G-1 here,_ " then he waited for a response.

" _This is Dr Nambu, launch the God Phoenix immediately_." They looked at each other for a split second " _Roger!_ " he responded to the Doctor, then they ran for her bike and transmuted as she headed towards the airfield.

He held onto her waist and he knew she was the one for him, they had to survive this war some how and then he could tell how he much he loved her.

The next time they would watch a sunset together, it was after the mission they had been called out on, and she would hold out his birdrang for him with a single tear that glimmered like a diamond as it fell onto it before she tossed it to him

"  _Missing something?_ " she said as she gave him that small smile that told him she had feared for him.

The tear gave away her true feelings for him; maybe they would have a future together after all…


	6. The hand of fate

Ken sank down into his leather chair, and placed the magazine aside sighing- so that's why she had a strange expression on her face that afternoon, while he was working on a few things in the yard. She was seated in her favourite chair on the Verandah reading the magazine. She must have guessed his confused feelings for Rumi at that time.

She hadn't one reason to worry about another woman, now or ever. He thought as he looked out at the night sky and closed the Magazine, leaving it on the table.

Then he remembered Joe was coming over early tomorrow, and he had better get some sleep. But the as he looked at the red rose, the tones deepened in colour from the soft moonlight moving gently with the breeze a memory flashed in his mind….

The mission into the deeps of the ocean, in the Submarine Saturn had left both Ken and Joe feeling exhausted.

Joe, at that point in time had not slept properly in a while, from the nightmares he'd been having about the day his parents were murdered by Galactor.

He had his secret love for Jun- but Joe had secrets that he did not want to share with the rest of the team, and kept a tight lip on the real truths.

Enjoying the sight of his new garden, and the landscaping. Who would have thought he would enjoy gardening. He was learning more about himself as a person in recent years than he did being Gatchaman.

He had even planted some rose bushes along the front of the veranda, one red rose stem stood so high it almost went over the edge of the balcony.

It reminded him of a time that Joe allowed himself to remember his past…

_The Marine Saturn…_

It was a few days later, and they had all been at the Snack J for a few hours.

Joe sat in a booth alone not talking to anyone. 

He was still moody about the discovery of his parent's occupation, and if he didn't come out of it soon, Ken knew Jun would start to try and pry it out of him.

She would just entice him into his gloomy mood further if she did that, and would likely get a tongue lashing that would send her into tears… Ken wanted to save her from it.

"Ken… Joe has been so down since we got back. Did  _something_ bad happen to him that he has not told us about it? _"_  Ken looked at her worried face, he had to move now or she would be in trouble.

"I'll talk to him Jun; he just has  _not_ been well and probably just needs some sleep." Joe got up and left without saying goodbye to anyone, making Jun run for the door, Ken caught up with her before she could go after him.

She turned and looked into his eyes; he could see the tears already forming in her green eyes from Joe's cold departure. He had to get Joe back to normal before the next mission or else there could be a lot of tension all around, and he could do something stupid.

"Jun I said I'd talk to him, please  _trust me_  on this his mood has nothing to do with us…He'll come back to us all soon." It was all he would allow himself to say, Joe was not ready for the rest of the team to know that his parents had worked for Galactor.

"I'll go now _."_ He promised her, she nodded silently as he walked out the door to get on his bike.

He was amazed at times at how she could almost read his mind; they could almost read each other so well it was scary to him. They worked well together on a mission because of it, and that was what was most important at that time.

20 minutes later he arrived at the Joe's trailer and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He looked around for any sign of the G-2, but it wasn't there so he drove to the track that was not far from the trailer.

He found him on the race track.

Joe was hitting top speeds around the track from what Ken could see as he pulled up and got off his bike near the stands.

He walked over to the empty stands that would normally be full of people on a race day, he was grateful that it was empty today.

Joe raced around for about half an hour putting the G-2 in civilian mode through hell before he pulled up nearby and hopped out of the G-2 and walked over to the stand where Ken was sitting.

He walked up into the stand and sat down on the level below Ken, neither of them spoke for a few moments so Ken waited, he had more patience than Joe did.

"So what brings you here Ken? I don't need a lecture from you about getting over it..."

"Jun's worried," was all he said.

"Worried about me? Well she worries about everything Ken…" He half smiled and looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not having the dreams now, facing them seems to have cured me… I just have to live with the rest."

Ken wondered if Joe's hatred of Galactor had only increased because of his parents not only being murdered by them, but also working for Galactor.

"Joe, remember what I told you, you're part of the team-"but Joe held his hand up to stop him." I know that Ken, I just need some rest."

Ken watched as Joe got up and began to walk down the stairs, and Ken got up and then followed. They walked side by side for a few minutes before Joe stopped and looked at him.

"Ken…" he began and then hesitated. "When I first met you…do remember what happened?"

Ken had to smile at that memory."Yes I do Joe, how I could  _possibly_  forget."

But Joe's face had taken on a very serious expression, like he wanted to tell him something but he was hesitating.

Joe took a deep breath and continued. "Well when I first got to the mansion I saw that rose garden…well…I…I," he stopped as if he was going to tell him something that would provoke a fight between them.

This was not like to Joe, to look so unsure of himself about something, even if they did end up in fist fight over it.

"Joe what's on your mind," he asked wanting him to get it out in the open.

"Ken, when I went into the garden I didn't expect to see anyone. Dr Nambu did not tell me about the funeral…I got to the house the night before, and was asked to stay upstairs in my room for a while…to occupy my time else where for a while, he would explain it all to me later."

Joe stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts. "After he left I found some tools and hid them, then I went down there to destroy all those roses…especially that bush…" That was a shock to Ken, but not unexpected, Joe had mentioned the rose that the Devil Star had thrown at him and what she had said.

"I can understand why you felt that way Joe-"But Joe cut him off.

"Maybe you do Ken… But I would have done it if Dr. Nambu didn't tell me it was your mother favourite rose bush…after you punched me in the face and proved you we not a wimp after all, "Joe almost smiled at the memory.

"I understood why you were acting like you did then, but I  _couldn't_  do it. I couldn't tarnish that memory." Ken stood speechless not knowing what to say at Joe letting down his walls like this...

"Ken I  _do_ have one memory about my parents… I don't recall much…mainly that dad liked to buy her flowers, especially red roses. Not just on special occasions but all the time, it made her smile and he always told her it was because he loved her so much… I do remember that about them…" Joe's voice was full of anger, and hurt and hatred for Galactor.

"That assassin took what should have been a happy memory and destroyed it. "Joe clenched his fists.

"I couldn't look at a red rose without pain and hatred for Galactor boiling up inside of me; it should have been the one thing that was a happy memory… It's the only one I have of them, and Galactor made a mockery of it." Joe's hands had formed fists again and his jaw was clenched.

"Don't let them rob you of your happy memories of your parents Ken…They'll take everything from us… I'll be O.K…I just need time to heal, at least enough to go on. Go and tell Jun that I will be back to my normal grouchy self by tomorrow." Then he got into the G-2 and sped off, but not before Ken saw tears on his brother's cheeks.

They all led a hard life, and Joe seemed to be tougher than the rest of them. Ken knew that Joe thought he was to soft at times. But there were times when you needed to be compassionate and strong at the same time.

He knew Joe would be alright for the next mission, his hatred for Galactor drove him on. Ken hoped that he would find another reason to live in his life or it could be the end of him.

Ken stood there for a while looking in the direction that Joe had sped off in towards his trailer.

Fate had dealt them the same hand but in different ways. They were both orphans, but the rose had a different meaning to them, even the real rose that was Jun…

For Ken it was the last happy moment with his mother, and also Jun's warm smile and a dreamy look on her face.

For Joe it meant pain, death and destruction of everything that he loved in his life.

Ken hoped Joe would find peace with the conflict in his heart and that memory could become good and he could find hope…

Ken was brought out of his thoughts for a moment, as sense of guilt washed over him again as he thought about what happened a few months after that. He had talked about it with Joe and Joe told him he would have pushed them down into the base himself if he had the strength.

Defeating Galactor was what Joe had lived for, and had been prepared to die so that Berg Katse would never rule the Earth.

Ken bowed his head at the memory…

Ken stood looking at the void that had taken what was left of his brother's last moments in life.

He had had to make the hardest order he would ever deliver in his time as Commander of the Science Ninja Team.

He had ordered that they leave Joe behind to go to finish the mission. Joe's last words rang in his mind. "Jun, you and Ken get along well go find yourselves a life together…"

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to say a prayer for Joe, for forgiveness for leaving him to die alone, Joe had told them to go, finish the mission.

Jun stood close and he could feel her pain, see the sorrow in her eyes, and he wondered if he could look into her eyes again knowing that she may wonder if he would do the same to her.

He wondered if it was Jun would he have left her there, or Jinpei or Ryu. These were hypothetical questions and they would never be answered unless the situation rose again.

What kind of leader was he, good or bad, only the team could decide that. Could he still lead them? Yes he could.

Joe's final words rang in his mind again. " _Jun… you and Ken get along well…go and make a life together…_ " It was what he wanted to do, but could he?

He craved for peace, and a life beyond fighting, but Ken felt too empty of emotion to even think about giving what he did not feel he had left in him to give.

Jun deserved better than a man who would leave behind a brother to die, even if it was to defeat Galactor.

Jun was right; none of them should ever have to die alone…


	7. Lost chances

Ken stood up, and stretched his legs, and then he walked out into the darkness down the steps of his veranda into his front yard.

They lived on a few hectares now so they had no one living close to them. He liked the tranquillity of having space around him, that's why loved living at the airfield in his youth.

The full moon highlighted work that still needed to be done in the yard as he surveyed the new pergola over the paved BBQ area that he had just started.

He wondered if he could bribe the guys with a case of beer each to come over and help him finish it… He didn't drink much really, and it never agreed with him anyway, so he discovered after a few very sticky incidents a few years back.

Ken had done some stupid things in his time involving too much beer, and Bourbon that was for sure!

He was never very good with alcohol, and if Galactor knew about this weakness they could have used it as truth serum to get information out of him. He smiled to himself at that thought, and the irony of it.

He felt so alive that night, the crisp cool air agreed with all of his senses making them as sharp as the days of his youth, and he smiled even more as looked up at the bedroom window and wondered what she had put on for bed that night.

She had the best lingerie wardrobe in Utoland from the new outfits he kept seeing, and taking them off her body to reveal what was underneath... That was something he looked forward to doing. She would be sleeping now, and he did not want to wake her just yet.

He looked back at the distant horizon, and he suddenly wanted to do a Karate Kata, one he not done one in a long time, not since the Doctor's ordered him never to do Martial Arts combat fighting again or active service, or he could die this time for sure because of the mysterious illness that had wracked his body after the third war.

Still he jogged each day to keep up his fitness, and did some weights, not like he used to, but being fit was a habit for him.

So Ken Washio stood and bowed, as he had been taught before beginning a formal Kata, and went into Hake Dachi stance by crossing his right fist over in front of him and shifting his right leg out in the stance his arm following showing strength as he arranged his facial features to match the mood of the Kata.

He was almost in a Karate gee from his loose P.J's with the shirt buttons undone he thought as he began flexing his muscles to make ready for his opponents.

Ken looked over his left shoulder and began the focused and deliberate moves of a martial artist doing the Saifa Kata that composed of slow and fast movements.

 _Bonsai_ , he voiced with force, as he broke the neck of an invisible opponent as he turned into the stance and grabbed the ponytail of the next opponent.

Ken and lots of alcohol never did go down well together, his thoughts then drifted back to a time that he had really stuffed up in his personal life…

Ken was pacing in his shack trying to get a grip on the situation he was in.

This was not how things were suppose too work out, but he seemed to have absolutely no control over anything, except for his command of the team and his job as its leader.

But even that seemed to be slipping from him; Gel Sadra was such a pain in the neck!

Joe had been back with them for a few months now, and the friendship he had with him had changed from being close to distant, and he knew why.

It was because of her.

From the time, he first saw his brother again, and the greeting Joe gave Jun he wondered if something more had been going on between them. Jealousy was not Ken's style, but it flared up in that instant.

He was happy to see it was him, but he still hesitated and the compulsion to hit him for all the pain of leaving like that took over and they had a friendly fight.

His thoughts went back to Jun. Why was she so distant with him during the time they were in training, before the war started again?

Ken had begun to spend a lot of time with her during that time between the wars, but nothing romantic ever happened between them. Not because he didn't want it to happen, it just never seemed to be the right timing for it.

They had been warned to be ready for action, so he didn't want to break her heart if he started something only to have to stop it, and he wasn't sure if he could break it off with Jun if he had too.

They remained close friends, ever on the verge of something more and deeper between them.

They had all grieved for Joe, and he wondered if she had blamed him for his death because of his order that they leave him behind to take the base from the looks she had given him for days after the mission.

They had never spoke about that sore point after the one argument they had when she came out to the Shack after he had gone into solitude for a week drinking out of self pity, and she had made him sober up by dropping him into a bath of icy cold water.

" _Wake up to yourself Ken_! You're not the only one who is hurting here.  _Damn you!"_ she yelled at him, as she pulled him out of the bath fully clothed and sopping wet and dropped him onto the bathroom floor like a wet rag.

She stayed there at the shack for days after that incident caring for him in her own way, and she even slept in the same bed as him holding him close, talking well into the night before they both fell asleep.

He began to get up in the mornings, and do the usual routine, shower, breakfast, go for an early morning flight and deliver mail.

Occasionally he even invited her to go with him, and he enjoyed those flights the most.

Routine was good for the soul.

Then he began to stop by the Snack J late at night, and they would talk over a bottle of red wine until all hours, and he would sleep on the couch sometimes. Those were good days and memories.

But Joe was back with them now….Not that he regretted him coming back, Joe was his brother after all, and he had missed him.

Ken felt so stupid now! All along Joe was seeing Jun.

How could he do that to him, especially since he knew how he felt about her, and after telling him to go and get a life with her!

Ken still had doubts about what was really going on between Joe and Jun, but he could not get the picture out of his head of Joe holding her so close, and the way she looked at him when they finally found them after a mission that she took off after Joe when he went out on his own...Joe holding her so close…looking into her eyes before he handed her to him. He closed his eyes and tried to rid himself of that image, Joe with Jun…

But then there was his recent affair with Kiena, and he hoped Jun would never find out about that. He cringed at the thought of her knowing anything about it.

Frustration and anger about why his life sucked so much righted now was reaching boiling point.

He roughly opened the door of the fridge and pulled out another beer, his sixth one in less than an hour, he twisted the top off and began to drink it so fast that he almost choked on the froth as the cold bitter liquid slid down his throat, and then he slammed shut the door fridge door with brutal force as he tried to steady his breathing.

That bastard! He thought. How could he, how could Joe go behind his back like that!

Joe must have told her, from the looks she gave him at the Snack J these days, and the way she was so cold to him now.

Nothing was making sense in his mind; his thoughts were all over the place.

Ken did feel very guilty about his brief affair with the girl in Andes; there was no doubt about that. He had lost his memory at the time, and didn't know who he was.

He had avoided Jun for weeks because he thought she could read his mind and see he had been in bed with another woman.

Not that he had any reason to feel unfaithful to Jun since they had never been in a relationship together.

It was all he could think about as he dragged his arm across his mouth to wipe of the beer that was running down his chin and he threw the empty bottle as hard as he could.

And he watched as it shattered against the wall on the other side of the room, shards of amber coloured glass went flying everywhere, the beer bottle joined the five others he had finished earlier, and thrown against the wall leaving dents in the plaster, and the paint that was chipped from the wall because of the bottles smashing against it..

But it felt good to let out the anger.

He looked over at the empty bottle of Bourbon that he had finished that earlier that afternoon and contemplated on throwing it at the wall too.

He contemplated it, and then did it. Glass shattered everywhere! The place was a mess now, and smelled of stale beer and Bourbon.

He stood staring at the broken glass with tears of frustration and rage stinging his eyes as he swallowed hard and looked away, his hands still clenched into tight fists so hard that he was shaking.

He had to settle this with the Condor, and now seemed like a good time to do it, it was getting late in the afternoon and he had had enough.

He roughly grabbed his jacket as he headed for the door, he was going to have a long talk with Joe about a lot of things, whether Joe wanted to talk or not.

Ken was going to get the truth…

Ken arrived at Joe's trailer half an hour later, he was still drunk and riding his bike, it was irresponsible and he knew it. But for once in his life he wasn't caring. And that was out of character for Ken.

He stopped just a short way down the dirt track when he saw the motor bike out the front of Joe's trailer.

It was Jun's, and he wondered if he should sneak up on them and look through the window. But if Joe caught him doing that it would be more humiliating and drunk or not, his pride would not stand for it.

So he stopped the engine and waited, working out what he should do next when the door opened. He could hear them talking as he backed the bike into a bush to hide it from them, he got off it and crouched behind a bush to observe them.

"I don't'  _know_  Joe." He could hear Jun's sweet voice as she walked towards the bike.

"Well I do, and we  _both_  know what's right." Joe said as he put his hands on her shoulders.

She looked up at him and smiled as he pulled her into his arms and embraced her, shooting daggers into Ken's heart as he watched them, he could only just see them through the branches of the bush.

"One day soon I hope this is all over Joe… and then we can get on with our lives." She said softly with hope in her words.

"Me too Jun, and one day we will." Joe responded as he gently pulled her away, and put his finger under her chin, and gently lifted her face to look at him.

"Not  _everything_  is as it seems Jun, and I missed you too." He finished as he lightly kissed her. Ken could not tell through the bush if the kiss was on the lips or not, he just assumed it was.

Ken's temper began to flare up renewed as he watched Jun get onto her bike and look at Joe, and a sad smile crossed her face.

"I'm so  _confused_  Joe about all this, I just don't  _know_ …I just don't  _know_. Why …why after  _all this time_  …and then…do  _that_ to me? It was so humiliating." She was shaking her head and she started the engine and began to ride in Ken's direction.

He move silently further into the bushes as she passed by him, he could see tears on her cheeks as she rode past his hiding place, and his eyes followed her.

Who had humiliated her? He thought.

"Why are you  _sneaking_ around like a Galactor goon Ken?" Joe asked coming up behind him.

Ken was still in a squatted position as he looked over his shoulder at Joe. He maintained eye contact with him as he slowly came to his feet and smiled at his brother sarcastically, he'd get him back for the insult he just gave him.

" _So_  when waz  _I_  going to find out Joe? The both ofv you have been keeping a low profile bout this." Ken slurred as he took a swing at Joe only to be caught off balance, and Joe got a hold of his arm and twisted it behind his back. Ken cried out in pain as Joe twisted it more.

"What  _was_  that all about Ken? You're never a good fighter when you're this drunk, so what brings you here all fired up and wanting to take it out on me? Just because you can't hold your grog boy…"

By this time Joe had shoved him out of the bushes, and Ken went face first sprawled into the dirt on the road. He tasted the dry dirt in his mouth and tried clumsily to spit it out.

"You know  _why._ " He slurred again as he tried to come to his feet. Joe roughly grabbed his arm again.

"It looks like I have  _some_  catching up to . Is that beer, Bourbon or both." He stated as he sniffed Ken's breath and pulled him roughly towards his trailer.

Only a few moments later Ken sat on the trailer step trying to get his thoughts together in his foggy drunken mind as Joe handed him another beer, Joe then sculled two on quick succession as he watched his commander.

"What's this about Ken,  _you look like shit you know_ …? Something is eating you up badly…so spit it out." Ken looked up at Joe who was standing leaning against his car glaring at him with his steel grey eyes waiting for Ken to respond.

"You  _know why I'm here Joe_ …but why was  _she_  here?" he asked knowing the answer already or so he thought.

"I don't  _believe_ this…You're jealous Ken because she came to  _me_  and not to  _you_. What did you expect, since you don't talk to her anymore except on missions to  _give orders?_ You're  _unbelievable_  sometimes Ken… do you know that!" Joe's voice had disgust in it, and he gave Ken a look that he was famous for amongst the most hardened goons in Galactor.

It was a tone that Ken did not expect from Joe despite his mood, and the looks he knew he was giving Joe back, still the Condor was not known to frighten easily.

"You and Jun… what's  _going on_  between you…Joe you still haven't answered me." Ken was in a dangerous mood and he was not sobering up one bit and he had some Dutch courage because of it.

Joe went to hand him another beer, and he knocked it out of his hand sending it flying into Joe's car and spilling foaming beer all down the side of it.

"Why, do want me to become more pissseeedddd… pissed than I already am?" Ken was slurring his words together more now, and Joe was developing two heads every now and then.

Joe didn't answer him; he took a firm hold of Ken's arm to stop him from moving as he leaned in closer and snarled at him through clenched teeth.

"Go home and sober up commander, if you can't handle the heat or your beer. Maybe you'll just pass out like you did the last time." Joe hissed in his face." Or maybe you're just too drunk to do even that, so you can sleep on the ground in the dirt for all I care at the moment." He could tell that Joe was really angry now, and it was dark so Joe did look rather scary in the moonlight as the fleeting thought passed thought Ken's mind.

Joe continued as Ken gave him a blank expression. "It's none of your business what my relationship with Jun is, and if you had any sense you'd ask  _her,_  not me instead of sneaking around spying in the bushes!"

Ken stumbled backwards." This is not over Joe; you went and stole her from me… you…you… Bastard guy!"

"Ken, you're still feeling guilty about what happened with that girl when you lost your memory aren't you. Maybe  _you're the one_  who has been avoiding Jun out of  _guilt_ and she came to me." Joe was closer again, and Ken calculated his next move. He hooked his leg around Joe's ankle and pulled it out from under him. Ken was blind drunk but he could still move fast.

"You bastard you  _told_  her about that didn't you! Damn you Joe you can go to hell for  _all I care_  right now." He yelled, and he went to kick the downed Condor in the ribs.

Only Joe moved up on his feet fast, and got a good punch straight into Ken's stomach sending him rolling over the bonnet of Joe's car.

He then came to his feet on the other side like a cougar as Joe jumped onto the bonnet in a crouched position and then launched at him.

"Ken what has  _gotten_  into you?" Was the last thing he heard as the Condor moved in for the kill punching Ken hard across the cheek bone followed by a direct punch into his stomach and then another than sent him sprawled onto the ground, he stared up at the stars, and all he could feel was the metallic taste of blood on his tongue and he saw Joe looking over him.

"I've lost her to you because…  _I screwed up_." he muttered, as Joes concerned face hovered over him and shimmered into to blurred objects as blackness finally overcame him.

Ken woke up the next day aching like he had never felt before all over, so he decided to try and sit up, he and moaned as he found more spots that were bruised and sore.

He wanted the number plate of the truck that hit him!

Then a thumping headache took hold as he lay back down with the bright sunlight sending daggers in behind his eyes, that movement set off nausea in a big way, his stomach was just waiting for him to make a wrong move.

He threw off the blanket and jumped off the foam mattress and ran into the bushes as he threw up.

After a few moments he tried to think of where in the world he was, as he looked back at the mattress laid out next to the trailer that looked like Joe's.

Joes trailer, that's right he thought. He was at Joe's trailer.

He moved away from the vial smell of the spot he had just used to empty the contents of his stomach before it set him off again and tried to remember the events of the night before.

Jun riding away on her motor bike in tears…yeah, he thought …got that.

Him attacking Joe, yep he remembered that happening, who won? Ken wondered as he ran his hands through his thick greasy hair, and went to open the door of the trailer to find some water to wash the vial taste of his own vomit out of his mouth.

Joe beat him to it, the door opened with Joe handing him a glass of water, and silently let him in after he washed out his mouth several times.

"Man you look like something the cat dragged in…pity I don't  _own_  a cat." Joe gave Ken a feral grin as the Eagle gingerly made his way to sit down at Joe's small table.

"Then I'll buy you a kitten for your birthday smart arse," he mumbled Ouch his head throbbed.

Not being able mutter another word because of the excruciating headache that was pounding his brain to pieces. He put his head into hands to try to keep his brain in his scull, he looked up slightly as Joe then handed him two small white tablets.

"These are for the headache bro." he said as Ken stared at them. His brain was not functioning at all this morning. He took them out of Joes hand and washed them down with some more water.

"Do you want bacon and eggs with cooked tomatoes and sausages?" Joe asked him as he got out a skillet and began to heat it up on the small stove, any other time that would have been great…now however…

Ken just shook his head and looked out the small window trying to get his thoughts together about the night before. He wondered if Joe had some sunglasses as the light felt like daggers in his eyes, so he looked away from the window.

The smell of the breakfast cooking set his stomach off again, and he bolted out the door. Joe seemed to be enjoying his pain from the amused expression on his face as he let Ken get past him.

A few moments later he was back in the trailer at the table again, with bacon, eggs, cooked tomatoes and sausages sitting in front of him and Joe sitting across from him hooking into his plate of food. Joe pointed with his fork at Ken's plate.

"Get some of that into ya… good greasy food to settle the stomach after a big night out on the grog, would you like some Wostershire sauce? "Joe offered the bottle as Ken took it from his hands. "Its good stuff, nice and spicy, a real mans sauce…" Joe was smiling broadly at him, flashing his white teeth with a chuckle.

Joes face suddenly became more serious as he leaned slightly more forward. "This doesn't happen to you very often does it Ken."

" _No_ " Ken stated, he was not sure if Joe was referring to Kiena, Jun or just getting blind bloody drunk.

"Well  _sometimes_  it can be good to get things outta your system Ken…This thing between you and Jun..." Joe looked at him as if he was studying a lab specimen with steel grey eyes that had a curious expression in them.

"You  _bet_  she knows about Kiena…and she heard about it from your own mouth the night you got drunk… just like this just after that mission, later that night at the Snack J… Do remember begging for her forgiveness on your hands and knees?"

Ken stared at him gulping like a goldfish. "I  _did what that night_!" he exclaimed going wide eyed with shock, and he still hadn't touched his breakfast, and his hangover was forgotten for five seconds.

This was the first time he had heard about it. He just thought he passed out on the floor were she left him, and then she had kicked him out of there without much sympathy the next morning.

They had hardly spoken since.

"Eat  _something_  will ya." Joe said annoyed as he pointed to Ken's plate of food.

Ken picked up his knife and fork and began to cut the bacon and runny yellow egg yoke as he tried to jam some food into his mouth as he processed the information.

" _I_  told her." He asked again, not feeling fully convinced that Joe was not just trying to get off the hook here by making out that he was too drunk that night to remember anything. But then Jinpei was sour with him as well, if he remembered correctly.

"Yeah you did  _among_  other things, like how you messed up with a date a few years ago because all you could think about was her, and you have had a crush on her since you were ten years old…Ohh here is the best part, how you wanted to make… "

Joe stopped as he arranged the scene in his mind, and then looked at Ken with one eyebrow raised, and then he quoted Ken."If I remember correctly you said, you wanted to make _mad passionate love to her that night under the stars_ … Lots of things came out that night bro." Joe had regained his good mood as he used his fork to make his point.

" _Sooo… ahhh she… ahhh …knows all that_ …  _Shit, shit, SHIT_!" He said in frustration as he shoved another lot of bacon into his mouth.

This meal did taste good and sat well in his stomach. But his confessions to Jun made him want to be sick again.

How drunk was he that night? Ken wondered.

He had Tequila slammers followed by a game of spin the bottle with Joe and Ryu, after that he remembered not a thing, just the same feeling the next day like he had now, but trying to get home after sleeping on the floor of the Snack J all night and Jun's angry glare as he looked up at her from the floor the next day.

He had stopped the bike several times to piss and throw up on the side of the road. Then he slept it off until they were all called in for a mission, later that night.

Jun was so horrible to him; he remembered that bit very well.

He was now not sure of his next move with the Swan now as he looked up sheepishly at Joe.

"So how about you and Jun…I don't blame her if she doesn't want me, I haven't exactly been very good to her of late, if I have ever been really…" He waited for Joe's response as he concentrated on finishing his bacon and eggs.

"Ken…I could start something with Jun if I wanted to. She craves for love in her life, and she thought you wanted her too at one time. But  _drunk_  and trying to take off her clothes in the middle of the Snack J is not the way to seduce a girl Ken… Even a girl that wants you." Joe looking at him, he was very serious now as he continued to tell the story.

"But I have other things happening in my life right now, and she deserves more than  _either_  of us can give her." Joe let out a long breath.

"Wake up Ken and smell the roses for once in your life! "Joe took his plate and got up and put in the sink.

"She is in love with you Ken… Even when she hates you like she does right now…She came to me because you turned her away…and then you tried to well… what do you call that move Ken? She's hurting now because of you; she has been since before the war started again." Joe had his back to him as he washed the dishes.

"I know." Ken confessed. "But I thought it was because I gave the order to abandon you and take the base. How could I start something with Jun when Galactor still there in the background?" He felt weak now and it was not a good feeling.

Joe looked over his shoulder with a look of pity that made Ken cringe. The last thing Ken wanted right now was pity.

The coffee Joe has started earlier was ready, and he poured two cups and handed to Ken one and they both went outside. The early morning air was very cool and crisp as autumn was approaching Utoland.

"I don't know what to do Joe…I though she was with you now, from the way you two have been acting." He looked into his cup as he went to take a sip of the hot coffee.

"Jun's an amazing woman, I could fall in love with her easily, but we wouldn't work Ken. Something is missing to make it work between me and her." Joe shook his head sadly." I'm a robot Ken… She wants children, and I remember a conversation we have not so long ago that you do too. I can't do even do that for her."

"You're not a robot Joe, Cyborgs are-"But Joe put up his hand to stop him.

"I know,  _I know_  what I am Ken, but there is more, how long do I have left here in the world? I just don't know." Joe said as he walked away and looked out at the rising sun.

"Do  _any_ of us know Joe? We are not born with a used by date attached to us, who knows how long we have to live." Ken meant what he said, if Joe and Jun really wanted to be together, then who was he to stand in their way of being happy together.

"Don't you  _get it_ Ken?" Joe's temper was now flaring up.

"Yeah… you think that because you're a Cyborg you have nothing to offer anyone but to die like all the other Cyborgs that Dr. Raphael created! Don't throw your life away like that Joe. You  _have_  a second chance, what you do with it is up to you." Ken was now facing him, and he was determined for Joe to want to fight, and to have a will to live even if it meant that he got together with Jun.

" _I'm_  not going to let you die again Joe…so put it out of your mind about being a martyr and dying for the planet all over again-"

Joe changed the topic. "So what's your next move with Jun? I'm  _not_  going after her  _yet_ … if that's what  _you're_  still thinking." Joe finished his coffee and waited. "But Ken… if you don't go and set things right, and tell her how you really feel sober, I may just change my mind, and give her the love she deserves." Joe began to walk back to the trailer.

"I guess I need to apologise to her first for the night I got blind drunk at the Snack J a few weeks ago, that's the first step...I guess." He mumbled as he finished his coffee and ran his fingers through his hair.

The hangover was still lingering, leaving him feeling seedy, but a man has to do what a man has to do, so he put the cup down and went to find his bike, he was still not sure were he left it.

"Sounds like a plan…Jinpei kept topping up your drinks by the way… I guess he thought you would say something else to her..."Joe let out a laugh as he thought about that night," other than what came out, and the bad moves you made bro." Joe called out after him.

Ken found some humour in that. Jinpei had been trying to get them together for a long time.

Later that same day….

Ken made his way into the Snack J he didn't know how he was going to approach this, but he felt he had better find a way.

He pulled up at the Snack J, and he could see her cleaning the counter from the window. He let out a long breath at the embarrassing situation he put himself into with her.

But he had no real explanation for his behaviour, only the truth would do and that just didn't seem enough, so he made his way into the bar with his pride in his pocket…

Ken finished the Kata for the third time as the sun began to stain the horizon in beautiful pink and gold hues with a dramatic dark back drop as made a formal bow and went back into the starting stance.

The past was the past, and it was how it should stay, he thought. The war was finally over and they had all moved on.

Jun had her own chain of bar and restaurants now, and the Snack J chain was doing very well, Jinpei was now a Marine biologist at the Utoland Zoo.

He looked at the red rose moving in the breeze and smiled. He had been up all night lost in time and thoughts, and it he decided to go and prepare her breakfast in bed.

She deserved it, just for being the woman he loved more than any other in the whole.


	8. Red wine and late nights.

Ken walked into the door of his new home and headed for the Kitchen, since he did all the cooking he also got to decide what they ate, which can be a good thing at times, and breakfast was his specialty. He opened the cupboard and pulled out a recipe book and opened it to a well worn page.

He couldn't help but think about the way she had looked at him as he walked through the door of the Snack J later that morning after his long heart to heart talk with Joe…

Jun looked like she wanted to run from him! And he realized he should have cleaned himself up more before going in to talk to her. Her frosty look and the crinkling of her pretty delicate nose told him he should have gone home first and showered and her reaction made him cringe inside, and he tried hard not to show it.

He sat in his usual place at the bar before any words were spoken between them.

"You  _no longer_  have a bar tab here Ken; find  _someone else_  to sponge off." She told him in a cold voice as she went out to the backroom; he contemplated on following her, but instead he stayed put because of how frosty she was.

He began to wonder what advice she had been given from the Condor the previous day.

He picked up the cloth and began to clean the tables, something the Eagle had never done before at the Snack J, but if it helped to warm up her cold demeanor towards him a bit... She walked up behind him and he looked over his shoulder as she handed him a towel.

"You know where the bathroom is Ken,  _I suggest_  you go and use it, you  _smell_  like stale beer and vomit… and  _something_ else." She said as she wrinkled her petite nose that he loved so much in disgust, and her green eyes were as hard as rare emeralds as she stood there with no expression on her face holding out the towel.

He just looked at her with a sinking feeling that they may never be close again as he took the towel from her outstretched hand and headed up the stairs to the loft's small bathroom.

He walked into the shower a few moments later with the hot water running with full force over his tired, bruised and battered body. The warmth of the water felt good as he washed his hair with her shampoo that smelled like Lavender, and he knew he would have that smell haunting him for days after, and then he rinsed out the foam under the hard sprays of the shower as it ran down his body.

The bruises didn't hurt any were near as much as Jun's frosty face and hard green eyes, and distance that she was putting even more between them…that maybe he was putting even more between.

He turned off the taps and stood there for a while letting the warm water drip from his skin and run down his physic as he closed his eyes and thought about Jun.

He had to change from this path he was on, but there was something else plaguing him, he had not been well of late but maybe that was because he was depressed about his concerns of a relationship forming between Joe and Jun, The sudden fatigue and moodiness he was experiencing, these were things associated with depression, and he chose to keep it to himself.

It would not benefit the team to know that he was going through emotional turmoil again because of his person life. Getting drunk was one way to combat it but it was only really a temporary fix to a much bigger issue.

The war with Gel Sadra was intensifying, and he hoped they could defeat Leader Z soon.

So his own issues would have to wait, and Joe's health was far more important, since he indicted that something was else was wrong with him.

Joe hid how sick he was before, but he would not get away with it again.

Ken dried off and looked around for his clothes.

They were not there on the bench were he had left them, not even his boxers, so he tied the towel around his waist and stuck his head out the bathroom door.

Jun was sitting on the couch reading a magazine." You wouldn't mind telling me were my clothes are?" He asked her as casually as he could.

"They  _stank just like you do_ , so they are in the washing machine. You'll have to wait for them to dry." She hadn't looked up from her magazine. His weapons were on her coffee table.

 _Ouch!_  He though at that statement she had just given.

"Jun…"This was awkward, and he watched as she got up and went into her bedroom and emerged a few moments later holding out her pink fluffy robe with an embroidered picture of Tinkerbelle on the back of it, and the words  _Tinkerbelle_  and a smaller picture on the front of it, with small yellow stars scattered form her wand down the front. It would look rather cute on Jun…but on him it would look very stupid.

"Ken you can  _borrow_ this until you clothes are dry… just  _don't_  get it dirty." She almost cracked a smile as he took it reluctantly from her hands, and he headed back into the bathroom and he looked at himself for a moment in the mirror as he put it on and couldn't help but smile, talk about looking like a big sissy!

This was so humiliating, what if someone saw him!

He wondered as he walked out of the bathroom and into the living room, he stood there for a moment, and he picked up the magazine she was reading to move it onto the coffee table out of the way, when he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs and he looked around behind him.

" _Hey big bro_ , I like the new outfit…will that be the new standard issue uniform we have been waiting for…Tinks?"Jinpei had big wide eyes and a snicker on his lips as Ken turned around.

"Going for the  _girly mages_  too huh…way to go bro… now I know why you have ignored Sis all this time!" Jinpei was enjoying himself, and Ken drew in a deep breath when he saw Ryu behind him with a smirk on his face. "Yeah bro, nice pink robe… now all you need is the pink slippers to match and rollers in your hair!"

Jinpei looked at Ryu wide eyed and innocent as he began to tease Ken.

"Aniki, we don't swing that way… ohhh no!" He exclaimed in mock shock putting his hands on his cheeks while looking at Ryu

." Could there be a love triangle between Jun, Joe and Ken? Here's how it goes… Ken wants Joe, but Joe's after Jun-"Jinpei didn't get to finish of his love triangle story, as the magazine Ken had in his hands hurled its way at Jinpei's head as the cheeky kid ran for cover down the stairs with Ken running after him and Ryu, stopping long enough to pick up the magazine so he could have another shot at them.

Ken was now so pissed off with the both of them, and he was too busy with thoughts of getting even with Jinpei that he forgot for a few moments how he was dressed. Until he reached the bottom of the stairs he was greeted with a number of black leather clad tattooed Bikie gang customers who had just walked in the door and sat at the bar.

He could feel the hot blood rising to his face as he stopped frozen in his tracks still holding the magazine with the cover showing...

"Well isn't he a pretty boy." One of the Bikie gang members snickered as he eyed Ken up and down and nudge he mate sitting beside him.

"Yeah bro' he's not my type though…what a pussy…do you think he knows what that is?" They were all laughing now as the Biker blew him a mocking taunting kiss and Ken felt a hand on the robe behind him, and he readied himself mentally for combat as he snarled at them.

"Get your hands  _off_  me." He said through clenched teeth to the heavily tattooed arm that he could see from the corner of his eye.

Jun just raised and unsympathetic eyebrow at him, and Jinpei and Ryu were holding their sides from laughing too hard.

He figured he was on his own, so he grabbed the arm and stomped on the foot and sent the big guy flying to the ground, with magazine flying across the room at Jinpei again.

Unfortunately for Ken, the man had grabbed the robe tie and one of the other men pulled it off him exposing him totally to the world as Joe walked through the door.

"Hey watch the robe, it's expensive you know!" Jun said getting a little annoyed at it being thrown across the room.

"Did I miss something here?" Joe asked the Swan who was licking her lips and running her eyes over Ken, that made him look away from her incase he reacted to it and she was still not helping him as the fight continued.

Joe took a seat at the bar as she poured him a beer." Do you need a hand Ken?" Joe asked him, in a… oh so  _very_  casual tone as he tried to stifle a smile.

"I'm doing fine on my own bro'" He stated as one guy got him in a headlock that he easily got himself out of, he saw Joe without blinking and eye or spilling a drop of his beer trip over one of the other gang members.

Clothes would be handy right now, he thought at random. Hoping his body below his waist was not responding to Jun's lingering gaze, he could not hide it if it was.

The leader of the gang tried to get to his feet as his fellow tough members who were bruised and battered ran out the door.

'You bunch of  _pussies!_  Running from a  _sissy_ in a girls robe!" The biker called out to his mates from the door as Joe stuck a boot in the man's back that sent him sprawling out the front of the Snack J.

"That sissy is my friend." He called after him, and went back to his beer.

"My hero!" Jun said dreamily, as she threw her arms around the Condors neck and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"Anytime my dear." He said obviously enjoying the attention.

Ken glared at the both of them and picked up the robe and headed back up the stairs to the loft.

He overheard Jinpei say to Jun in a proud, full of himself voice. "Mission accomplished Sis… Give me five! The girly Magazine was a bonus Sis… man that was  _humiliation plus_ …"

For once he wasn't angry at her or Jinpei, he figured he deserved it.

He put the robe back on because it was all he had and he sat down on the couch and picked up the remote for the TV. He turned it on and began to channel flick

He had come here to talk to her, but it looked like it was not going to happen.

About fifteen minutes later she came up the stairs with two Hot Chocolates in her hands.

"Have you got room for me there?" She asked politely as he moved over to let her sit down next to him on the couch. He turned off the T.V as he took the hot chocolate out of her hands and took a sip.

"This is good." He meant the compliment; she always made good Hot Chocolate.

"O.K" he said trying to get a conversation going here. "I deserved that."

"Yes you did. She replied" But it not near as humiliating as it was for me a few weeks ago."

"Was I that bad?" he asked her feeling a bit relieved that she was at least talking to him at least.

She frowned, and then raised a curious eyebrow at him as she moved to face him."Ohh, Yes and then some…You were  _soooo_ drunk Ken, which parts have  _escaped_  your memory…"Her brows were now knitted together as she thought about that night and she continued.

"That you wanted to make love to me after telling me about your other women? Or that you wanted me even though duty matters so much more to you…and that was only the start of it all." Ken swallowed hard and looked into his cup not knowing what to say to her as his heart was pounding as he swallowed and looked back at her.

"Sorry wouldn't cut it I know but…Jun… _I didn't know who I was_  when that happened with the girl in the Andes…the poison in the water…" He ran out of words, and they sounded so lame anyway so he took another sip from the cup to cover it. "This is good Hot Chocolate." he muttered. That time in the Andes was still a reminder of what he really wanted out of life, but with Jun.

"Why Ken… why did you tell me like that? I didn't believe a word of what you said a few weeks ago because of how drunk you were, but the parts about your love life? That was true wasn't it…?" He looked up to see her biting her bottom lip with a thoughtful sad expression on her face.

"You really have been very angry with me for a long time haven't you?" He asked her quietly. "So why did you put up with it for so long?"

Her eyes began to glass over and her lips were trembling now. "I don't  _know_ Ken…We had  _something_  there between us didn't we? I mean it wasn't just all me being a silly foolish girl." She got up, and stood with her back to him and her arms folded. So he stood up and walked up behind her and gently put his hands on her arms.

She felt that strongly towards him, he though. He could be so blind sometimes.

"Yes, we did, and maybe we…well… It wasn't just all you Jun. I'm just not good at this stuff and if your happier with Joe I'll understand…I…can't give you what you want right now, so please don't wait around for me…I'll just break your heart." He would have left then if he had his clothes on. She just nodded and walked out of the room.

He stood there alone watching her walk down the stairs and looked at his hands and wondered if he should have said more of how he really felt about her. But was it fair to Jun to get her hopes up like that?

Sometime later she returned with his clothes, and she let him go into her room to change into them.

He stood there alone in her private sanctuary like he had when he was sixteen years old, and he remembered the red rose he had left for her.

The late nights and quiet conversations over a glass of red wine during peace time, he could see her face in the soft light across the table and how good it felt to have her there in his life.

How much did he take for granted with her? He tried in those moments to let her go, but how could he do that when he loved her.

He closed his eyes as tears stung them and he felt them brimming on his eyelashes, he opened his eyes as he tried to blink back the tears as he looked around at all the things that made her the love of his life.

He sat down on her bed as he put on his shoes, and touched the soft pillow as he began to wonder it would be like for him if he found out like that she had been with another man in this bed or any other, and the way he told her, drunk.

He then decided that he had to let her go, and give her a chance at finding someone who would treat her right, even if it was his closest friend.

This war may never end and was committed to see it through, he knew deep down that she was the reason he fought so hard to bring this war to a close.

He heard her softy open the door as he was lost in his thoughts, and he pretended to fix his shoe before he stood up.

"I guess I should go." He said as she nodded with red eyes. He caught a glimpse of her picking up the robe and putting to her face as she close the door behind her.

He stood there for a few moments at her door, and he went to knock but hesitated at the last minute. If she opened the door now he would take her into his arms he would have no self control over what would follow that, so he turned and walked away.

Ken walked out of the Snack J and looked up at the windows as he his heart shattered; he got on his bike and headed for home.

Was this the end of a beautiful dream that he once had? He wondered as he walked back into the mess that resembled his shack and his personal life.

So he began to clean up the shack and get himself together again.

He stopped as he went to get out the vacuum cleaner and picked up his keys for the bike. He was very tempted still to go back and tell her everything he wanted to sober, and from the look in her eyes…but then was he taking advantage of her being in a vulnerable position?

He heard the sound of a motor bike stop out the front and he knew who it was as he heard the gentle knock on the door. He opened it, and Jun gave him and small hesitant smile.

"Come in," He said feeling a bit panicked at the state of the place as she walked in.

"Spring cleaning." He offered as an explanation for the mess state of his shack.

"I see, "she said looking around her and surveying the far wall full of dents.

"Would you like a hand cleaning up? We can still be friends can't we Ken." His eyes met hers and he saw warmth in them, and he knew they were getting back on track slowly as he smiled back at her.

"That would be great… I'm cooking dinner as payback then." He offered as he plugged in the vacuum.

"Well that sounds good, I brought the wine." She said as she pulled the bottle out of her bag and headed for the kitchen.

It was going to take time to mend the damage of all the months of tension between them to bring their friendship back to what it used to be.

So he took the olive branch she was offering, and together they began to clean up the shack


	9. A second chance

Ken walked out of the Kitchen for a moment to watch the golden hues of dawn- it was really too early to cook the dish he was planning for her as a surprise.

It was then that he remembered he had left his laptop running, and he went into the study shut it down.

He took a quick glimpse at his email message and smiled as he saw a message for the Condor. Ken,

" _I will be over later in the morning; my wife has things to do today so it will be just me and my boy…_

_He can't wait to tell you all about the race at Bathurst, and how the Utoland team won…And how his mother kicked butt in the track in the celebrity race…you won't be able to shut him up so be warned!"_

He chuckled at the thought of how much that four year old boy was taking on his father's personality; Joe may have to change his son's name to mini me.

Ken thought as he could picture the hero worship that the young child had of his father.

But then Joe just adored his son, and his wife he and took little Bayden every where with him.

Ken was looking forward to catching up with them, as they had been gone for a few months now with Joe racing again and they were looking for information on their adopted son's background.

He began to close the files about the interview that would be happening in a few days time, and the rough start to his book, he stopped as he caught a glimpse of one of the questions.

"Why did you keep your engagement secret for so long, before it was made public after the defeat of Galactor?"

"How did you survive the final battle when it was reported you had a rare disease and was not likely to live a normal life again."

What kind of question was that he mused as he looked at it again; at the rate these questions were going this was going to be a short interview!

He thought. He understood why they might have asked the second one, but the first? Well it was something he really did not want to talk about; the pain of the experience still haunted him.

There were many reasons to keep that information quite about their engagement, if Galactor knew it could them both in dangerous position in the war, not that they were not already, but why give Galactor another reason.

His final decision to court her came after he realized he could not wait forever, and he completion lurking around.

They had defeated Gel Sadra and they had a period of time of peace again.

He had to have something to fight for, not just everyone else's freedom.

And she was worth it.

He remembered the first time he kissed her, the rush of emotions even though they were arguing at the time. It was silly now when he thought about it, but how she  _looked_  in that Teal chiffon evening dress that set off her eyes and ivory skin in the moonlight….

Her ebony hair falling loose around her face, and her emerald green eyes were flashing daggers at him in anger, at how he had just beaten up her date. The chandelier diamond earrings swinging as she moved, catching the moonlight.

He drew in a deep breath, and did something that defied all logic in the moment, and defied all thought and he let his emotions take over.

He closed the space in between them and drew her to him. He leaned down and kissed her lips, parting them with his tongue and letting the depth of his emotions draw her in. He could taste strawberries on her soft lips as the she went limp in his arms and let him guide her.

She crumbled even more under the passion of his kiss as his tongue searched her mouth and she responded to his touch the back her knees nearly giving way under her in his embrace, and the fire of emotion sweep through his body, he was holding her so close. In way he had only ever dreamed of.

His hands on her bare back feeling the warm bare soft skin as her muscles rippled under his touch increasing the intensity, he felt his body respond, and he knew she could feel his arousal against her and it was intoxicating.

There was a long moment before either of them came up for air, Ken's lips continued to trail down her soft inviting neck as she let a moan of pleasure. Never wanted this moment to end…that was until she pushed him away, and in self preservation ran from him crying.

He knew he had to take action to win her and let her know his true intentions, so that was exactly what he did…he wanted to marry her.

He remembered that night, it was her twenty first birthday and it was a rocky road getting there and long story.

It was a beautiful memory that he had of the night that he proposed to her…

He sent her gifts, and love letters that told her he was thinking of her everyday for a week leading up to it win her heart, and to let her know how important she was to him, and that he did love her.

He was still hesitant to show up at her party because of the fight they had the week before, and the words that were spoken between them, but it was all worth it in the end.

Later that night he finally explained to her why he held back for so long, and to see the love in her eyes as she stood there in the soft light in front of him was worth everything….

He smiled, and sat down in his chair and looked back at the rose in the vase as warm fuzzy feelings filled his as he remembered their first time and the moments that lead up to it… as he thought about the moment her asked her to be his wife and his gaze fell on the wedding photo next to the vase.

"Without you my life is not complete, your only woman in the world that I want to build a life with… and if you'll have me will you be my wife?" Ken looked at her and waited for her answer.

She stared into his eyes for a moment.

"Yes" she breathed the words, and helped him to his feet before they kissed again and he produced a ring.

"I was walking past a jeweller today, and I saw this and thought of you." He said and smiled as he slipped it on her finger. She let a small happy laugh and they held each other close for a moment.

She looked up into his eyes and a small smile spread across her face into a joyous expression of pure happiness.

She knew what they both wanted. She took his hands in hers and whispered in his ear. Ken was not going to object to what she was saying to him.

"Just give me  _five minutes_ , and then come up to my bedroom." She turned, and walked a few paces before looking back over her shoulder, and then deliberately ran her eyes over his body and gave him a sultry inviting look.

Ken could still see the lust in her eyes, and it was a look she had only for him.

Ken waited with anticipation of what she needed the time for; he waited and looked at the clock feeling a little impatient.

He looked over at the table, and picked up the bottle of wine and two glasses, headed into the kitchen whistling and smiling like a schoolboy, and took a small fruit platter out of the fridge that Jill have left from the party.

He then put a single red rose that was on the table near by between his teeth, and then headed upstairs to her bedroom.

She was now his Fiancée, he thought and smiled happily to himself, he liked the sound of that. She will be Mrs. Washio soon, and wondered why he ever hesitated for so long.

As he walked through the door he was greeted with an unexpected sight of the how beautiful she looked in her lingerie that she had obviously wanted to surprise him with.

Small tea light candles burned softly on the dresser and side table to her bed…perfect he thought. He had only tried to imagine the moment, and now he was here with her.

He went over and sat the bottle and the platter on her side table as he and he took the rose from his teeth and put it to his lips as he looked at her in the mirror. Something was not right from the way she was sitting he knew her too well.

When he walk into the room she was wearing a pink lace and organza corset with lace top stockings, and a feather bower draped around her shoulders and on her delicate feet she had on cute heeled fluffy swan down slippers. She was half lying on the bed and she gave him a small smile.

Now her hands were covering her face.

It was not until he heard the soft sobbing, that he wondered if she felt she had made a mistake by accepting his proposal.

He walked over, and stood in front of her as he crouched down and gently pried her hands from her face to be greeted with swollen red eyes and her bottom lip was trembling.

She looked like a frightened child, and he was about to take her in his arms when she smiled a little at the sight of the rose in his hands, so he touched her lips gently with the soft burgundy velvet petals.

"A kiss from a rose." He said simply, hoping it would make her feel better, and open up to tell him what was bothering her.

This should have been a happy moment for the both of them.

"So it  _was_  you!" She gasped as realization crossed her face, and she brightened up for a moment. "I  _knew_  it...but then you never really paid me any attention in that way…I was just left wondering all these years..."She hesitated before adding.

"At one time I thought it was Joe… especially after he came back and we became close friends again…"She bit her pink bottom lip and continued "I went to the florist, and she said it was an arrangement from a young man that she had for every year. he paid her in advance…Birthdays and Valentines day… but Joe cleared that up when I finally found the courage to ask him...but that's not why I suddenly feel nervous…" She bit her bottom lip again as he gave her a light kiss, maybe this was her first time and didn't want to admit it he thought.

"I confess..."He said holding his arms up and surrendering to her. "It was me who left you the rose when you were fourteen on your bed on Valentines Day...and all the other flowers that arrived for you every year after that…I…arranged it that way because I knew you would go to the florist and try to find out…"

He put his arms down and looked at the floor for a moment. "I didn't want you to know it was me incase you didn't really want me at the time…I was nervous about that…and I'm nervous now because I want to  _please_  you…" He looked back up into her eyes; by admitting his own nerves he hoped it would ease hers.

He swallowed as he asked his next question, if she wanted out now, then he had to give her the chance." Do you have a change of heart about marrying me… but just don't know how to say it?" He took both her hands in his, and kneeled at the edge of the bed and looked at her open palms as he rubbed them with his fingers.

"No!" She said making him look up at her.

"I  _waited_  for you, even when you  _did_ crazy things, like getting blind drunk and trying to tell me you loved me then…" Her eyes took on a lusty tone, which eased his mind as she continued.

"But you looked so  _hot_ in my robe, especially when you lost it and took on those men totally naked in the bar…Ohhh, I dreamed about that for weeks afterwards. Your birdstyle just didn't cut it after that… " She even laughed a little bit a memory, and even blushed as she thought about him fighting the bikers, naked.

"I'll wear your fluffy pink Tinkerbelle robe  _anytime_  for you Jun if you find it sexy on me, and you can take it off me yourself if it pleases you." He stopped for a moment and looked at draped over the chair at her dresser. "Wait, let me go and change…" She smiled a little more again and her eyes even brightened up.

Maybe it was just all nerves because they had never slept together before, he was a little nervous as well, he wanted it to be the best lovemaking she had ever experienced, there was no way she could let him down.

"Why were you crying? If this too fast for you, then we don't have to do this now…we can take our time." He looked into her eyes searching them, as he tried to and reassure her that he was not going to push into anything she was not ready for.

"Do you  _like_  what you see my Eagle." She asked as she leaned back more on the bed, and gave him a more inviting smile that was more like Jun.

"I want to  _saviour_  every moment with you tonight. I've waited so long… " He said sitting next to her on the bed, as she picked up a wine glass from the side table, and took a long sip almost half the glass, and then she titled her glass to his lips and he took a playful sip of her wine.

He could remember the smell of lavender in her hair as he ran his fingers through it.

The soft moans as he watched her eyes as he fed her a strawberry from his mouth, and followed with a kiss so he could taste the sweet fruit on her lips as they fell back onto the single bed.

For a moment she relaxed into his embrace, as he looked into her clear emerald eyes as he laced his fingers with hers, and he brought them up above her head onto the pillow, as she stretched out on the bed beneath him her long dark ebony hair surrounding her as they gazed into each others eyes.

"Have you done this before?" He asked, before he realized what he was saying, this was a topic they really had never broached before, and now was probably not the best timing.

But as she looked away from his eyes for a moment he wondered if he should not have asked.

"Yes…  _and_  no." she replied looking back at him, he felt confusion fill him and she must have seen it on his face as she explained further.

He tried to not allow that question to break the moment. "I should not have said that…It's O.K I don't expect-"

"A few years ago…I was not given a choice who I gave my virginity too. I…I was captured but then maybe you can guess when it happened." A sad look crossed her eyes, and he felt a stab to his heart that his suspicions were right at that time of the flowers.

He cursed himself for not getting to her sooner and his responses to her when they did find her. "I'm so sorry…I…should not have hit you like that…I was so worried and I…" Was all he could say shaking his head, with pain and frustration stabbing him in the gut that he could not help her through it at the time.

But she had put a barrier between them for a while afterwards, and he thought it was because he slapped her.

Sorry seemed inadequate, but then what do say when the woman you love more than your own life, tells you in a cryptic way that was raped by her enemies and yours?

He wondered if it was Katse, and he wanted to throw him of that cliff into that hot lava himself this time if he could, because of what happened to her.

He must have looked lost in his thoughts from her next comment.

"Don't be." She said, and swallowed as she gazed into his eyes, the flicker of the candles only made her soft features even more beautiful even with the unshed tears that glistened and stood in her emerald eyes.

"It was not your fault…I knew the dangers…Ken."

"Maybe, but that doesn't make it right…No man has the right to take a woman by force to satisfy his own needs.  _Ever._ "

She gave him a sad look. "Joe said the same thing…he found out just after we found him by accident, I told him never to tell you…But that's why he got so protective of me…He knows I love you."

He moved off her slightly, and buried his face in her neck, no wonder she hesitate when he held her on the beach, and threw him out of the Snack J when got that drunk.

She should have not ever wanted to speak to him again, but Jun has such a forgiving heart, and he felt blessed to have her in his life.

The need to protect her coursed through his veins as he swore it would not happen to her again, if he had to give every last breath of his body to prevent it.

She turned her head on the pillow as he looked back at her, and he gently kissed her again.

She searched his eyes for a moment. "Can we lay here for a while, stay with me and hold me."

"Sure, I don't want to go." He told her as she cuddled up to him and wrapped her legs around his they closed all space between them. He didn't know how long they dozed there for, maybe a few hours perhaps.

She spoke quietly in his ear that bought him out of the near slumber that he was in."I  _do_ have a choice now." Her breath warmed his ear as she whispered.

" Please… Touch me." She brought his hand to her breast, and moved more on top of him he dark hair falling seductively around her shoulders, and down her back like a dark river.

She wove her fingers in his once more." Show me how it is meant…make love to me Ken, and show what it is like to be touched by a  _real_  man."

"I promise you, if at anytime you want me stop, just say so. I never want you to regret a moment that we are together…I promise you…to me, you are a still a virgin my love." He whispered as he gently brushed her lips.

"Ohhh" she breathed into his ear with relief. "I  _feel_ like one right now, this is all new to me." And he kissed her closed eyes and tasted the salt of her tears.

" _No more tears…Ken_ , I've waited for so long to know what it should be like, I feared to be touched…but then...I want to know…with you I feel like what they took by force, is now given back to me. This is  _my_  choice." He heard the determination creep into her voice, she would not be a victim, he realized and he was honoured to have such a strong woman at his side.

Ken gently kissed her lips, he would take her slowly.

And make sure this pleasure was for her and that he gave her everything he could to show her that to make love was something that a man and a woman who loved each other totally, could be the most amazing thing in the world.

He let go of her fingers as he buried his face in her neck as he began to show her what a real man could do to pleasure a woman.

"I think you're over dressed for this occasion." She whispered as she began to unbutton his shirt and ran her fingers over his torso as they found his belt, and she began to remove his clothing, he could tell she was eager to see all of him without clothes, and he let her have her way with him.

Still they took their time as the explored each other.

As they moved together like two people who were made to be with each other he worked his way down her with long soft kisses against her flawless ivory skin.

She continued to run her nails lightly over him exploring every part of him, and stimulating him in every way, she smiled as she look down below his waist in satisfaction to the effect just her touch was having on him.

She arched her back as he fiddled with the hooks of the corset and gradually released her soft breasts.

With the stocking and the G-string still on, and the feather boa around her shoulders still, she sat up a little with her elbows under her and her long hair messy around her face and the ends say just on her breasts as she parted her lips and slowly ran her tongue along them.

Damn she looked exotic at that moment.

She became erotic in her movements, and with the moonlight playing on her skin that he had to hold himself back from just taking her for his own pleasure.

Instead he picked up the massage oil, and began to work it over her body, he wanted to get to know every curve of her body as he gently turned her on her back, and straddled her body as he worked the oil along her back down to her toned petite bottom.

He could tell it was turning her on dramatically as his hands worked their way between her legs as he ran his fingers down the string part of her panties finding the soft folds of her moist, which told him he had reached his goal, and he moved onto the next part of the erotic massage.

She stiffed a little at his touch then, and he almost stopped when she cried out."Ohhh Ken! Please…that feels sooo good." She moaned beneath him as he continued to gently massage her there.

"Please…give me more." She pleaded as he turned her over to face him, and she parted her legs as he removed the G-string and let his lips continue to explore her there.

Her back arched, and her hands gripped the bed sheets she cried out to tell him she was reaching an orgasm, and he was pleased to know how much this was bringing her the pleasure, it added to his own.

He looked up as she opened her eyes and looked at him and indicated what she wanted from him next.

He moved on top of her slowly keeping eye contact the whole time as she guided him, and he felt his rock hardness against her soft inviting body as he began to move position himself just inside of her.

"Are you O.K" he asked as her body stiffened again as he entered her.

"Yes…all I can think about is you…you such a fantastic lover…please show me more…"She breathed, and she wrapped her legs around him. So he began to move gently at first, but she began to rock with him as they moved faster together.

He called out her name as he own climate and he felt her body shudder beneath him as he felt her climate again.

A while later she was lying in his arms as he ran his fingers down her spine, and she was smiling up at him as he dozed. "It was not what I expected you know" She told him while she ran her fingernails lightly down his chest.

"Ohh." He said and waited for her to continue staring at the ceiling.

"It was better than I could have dreamed of…I thought I would be hesitant and afraid…' She smiled this time with tears of happiness in her eyes." But you changed that for me, I can't promise that I won't hesitate at times…but this was so special to me. Like I have been given a second chance."

"No...Jun You gave  _me_ a second chance…you always do." He vowed never to try and take advantage of the unconditional love that she had for him again.

He gazed at her feeling like the most privileged man alive to show the Swan what it was to love like this.

"I think it is me who should be saying thank you…anytime remember, if you want to stop, just say so." He reassured her this was not just a one time thing.

"Well I do have one request…I have so  _much_  to learn about you." She said running a finger down his abdomen to his groin.

He watched her; she picked up the vanilla scented massage oil, looking at her as he messed up her hair deliberately with his fingers.

"It's my turn." She simply said as she hopped on top of him, and her lips turned up at the corners as she ran her fingers over him again.

"Don't look so surprised, you are my Eagle and my lover, and your love changed everything about what I think of a man's touch…and I only ever want yours." And began to work the oil into his skin as they began to make love again more slowly this time for the rest of the night.

That night they learn a lot about each other, and he could tell she was letting go of the past, and so was he.

At times after she hesitated when they became intimate, but he never pressured her to go further if she did not want to, he knew why, and together they worked through it. As they did with every obstacle that came their way or threatened to tear them apart like the final outcome of the war almost did.


	10. Petals and thorns.

Ken stood looking out his kitchen window trying to believe for the first time in years that he had stay up all night, and did not feel any exhaustion.

He had nights like this when he was a teenager, when he was studying to become a pilot and a Ninja.

But for so long after the war ended he felt like an old man.

When the war was over he laid in a coma for four months with doctors and ISO people telling Jun to turn off the life support. He was told things about that time from the team in small doses.

They told Jun he would never live a normal life and he would die or likely to be a vegetable from the moment they switched it off.

She demanded they run more tests, Joe, Ryu and Jinpei stood with her, when the medical team showed up to overpower her.

She looked at the records herself, and when they worked out the source of the disease they knew they had to move fast to find the serum.

Joe's wife Madeline came and stayed with him so they could go, and find it to save him.

She promised Jun they would not get near the off switch on the life support system while she was there.

A new energy was coming back into his life now, and he felt the first flutter in his stomach of the Eagle he once was rising up and claiming his place in the world again.

He closed his eyes and he could see the bird spreading its wings preparing to take flight in the golden rays of the morning sun.

The last battle against Galactor had scarred them all, the price had been too high with the death of his Sensei, tutor and the closest man to a real father; was murdered by Galactor, .

Jun believed in him, and that was all that mattered.

Not once did she ever give up on him for as long as he had known her.

She was his rock, and the reason to keep fighting, even when he didn't want to keep on living after the war because of the illness that wrecked his body

He was so scared at times then, and didn't want to admit it, he remembered a time during the treatment of his illness, breaking down and crying in her arms from the intense pain and feeling no shame in doing it.

They were alone in the hospital room together, and he tried at that time to tell her to leave him and find a man, who could be a man to her.

He felt like a cripple at that time.

'It's  _alright_  to cry Ken." She whispered in a soft but determined voice. "I am  _not_ leaving you…Do you understand me, I will  _not_ allow you to push me away. We'll  _fight_  this battle together. I'll  _never_ leave you…"

He could hear her fighting back tears as her voice cracked.

He remembered trying to look at her, as the medication took hold of him that made him drowsy and shake like a leaf on tree in strong wind. They needed the serum to stop the illness, but then they had find a way to treat it.

"I know." Was all he could remember saying, before the world spun and went black.

Ken came back to the present again as he pushed away those painful memories to back of his mind.

He looked over at the shelf that contained the special medication that the ISO doctors made for him to give him a life and combat the disease.

His last test showed a big improvement, most of the disease was out of his system now.

He was still trying to comprehend all the medical details of the complex strand that invaded him from the time he was a boy, it had been dormant until he started to use the Hypershoot, and the instability of it made the disease come to life, and accelerated the symptoms making it a fatal illness that was created by Galactor, the other reason, apparently that his father chose to fake his death.

He walked over and picked up one of the glass medicine bottles, if only they knew about this at the time his mother was ill, they may have been able to save her.

But it was the team that went into the last remnants of Galactor bases to find the serum to save him, and he was grateful for their loyalty to him.

He opened it, and took out two dark green tablets and then one that was gold in colour and swallowed them with a glass of water, he was down to three tablets now -not eight like he started with.

He had more tests in the next few days, and he was confident that the disease had totally left his body.

He smiled as he began to prepare Eggs Benedict, with finely cut smoked salmon for his beautiful wife.

He picked up the garden shears and walked outside of the house to pick a rose from his favourite bush for her.

The same rose bush that was at the mansion now had a prized position in their garden.

He watched as some of the older rose petals fell off the stems as he cut a long stem of one just opening up.

The image if his bride came into his mind as he watched the soft burgundy rose petals collected from this very rose bush, were thrown out in front of her by Kimmy a bridesmaid as Jun walked towards him on their wedding day.

Madeline wrote a special song for them, and played it on her flute as she walked ahead of his bride in a teal green gown.

Ryu had the privilege of escorting the bride.

Jun's sparkling green eyes, and the radiant smile that softy turned up at the corners of her rose bud pink lips was just for him, he could see them peeping out from the soft folds of her face veil, as she walked towards him in her gorgeous ivory silk wedding gown with a long train sweeping the path behind her.

Joe was his best man, and Jinpei was a groomsman…it was a beautiful day in a garden warm and sunny, just like to day was.

He pricked his finger on a thorn.

"Ouch!" he cried out annoyed, and put it to his lips to stop the bleeding, he laughed to himself as he realized it was what he did as boy all those years ago.

Well life could be like that, he figured. Beautiful rose petals one day, and prickly thorns the next!

His life these days had more rose petals in it than thorns. He thought and it couldn't get any better.

He walked back inside the house and placed it on the tray, then like any good pilot he did his preflight checklist.

Breakfast plate… Check

Coffee…..Check

Orange Juice…Check

Knife and fork…..Check

Napkin…..Check

Rose…..Check

Satisfied he picked it up and headed upstairs to their bedroom, the door was just opened a fraction as he lightly pushed it to go in.

She was still fast asleep and he smiled as he tip toed over to the dresser and put down the tray.

This was going to fun, waking her up he thought.

He quietly walked around to his side of the bed and crawled over the doona to reach her.

She was lying on her side, ebony hair splayed out onto the pillow, she looked very peaceful, and totally naked he noticed lying on top of the bed sheets, a gentle breeze from the open window caressed her body.

Naiiicee! He thought Very nice!

He took off his shirt and with the rose in his hand he leaned down to kiss her neck, when suddenly he went flying onto his back and she sat on top him holding his arms down, he held out the rose to her as a peace offering, and she just smiled at him.

His swan was a fast mover!

"You want to play _Mrs. Washio_." He asked with anticipation of what was to come from the look in her eye.

"I'm going to  _interrogated_  you." She promised him. "Where  _were_  you last night? I was lonely." She said in cupid doll voice as she pushed his hands further into the mattress. "I need  _payment_ for such neglect my love and you're going to  _give_  it to me."

He liked this game!

" I will  _suffer_  at your hands…and what punishment did you have in mind?" He was getting excited now, forget breakfast! He thought.

She slowly curled her lips up in a suggestive manner to form a smile. Then she began to move down his body in a way he liked to see. She took off his loose pyjama pants and looked back up at him and licked her lips.

This was all good! He thought as he maintained eye contact with her for a moment and then leaned his head back and waited for what he knew was coming as she fiddled with his underwear.

He suddenly jumped in uncontrollable laughter as she attacked his feet and went into tickling frenzy!

"I have you now! Mr. Washio, do surrender to  _all_  my needs!" He tried to control his laughing and get his feet out of her grip.

"Ohhh… my- darling- Swan… _I dooo_!" he told her as he tried to catch his breath, he put the rose to his lips and pressed it onto hers.

"A kiss from a rose." She whispered as she took it from his fingers and her gaze lingered on him for a few moments and the comfortable silence fell between them.

"I see you made breakfast for me, thank you." She raised an eyebrow and gently smiled and walked over to the dresser were the tray was sitting.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" He whispered with all the emotion of a life time of memories of her vivid in his mind coming forth, as he watched her hips move as she walked and her perky breasts in the mirror of the dresser.

He could see her look back at him as she observed the contents of the tray.

He was unprepared for the sad but then happy smile that came to her face. The mixed emotions that was present there in her eyes.

"Every time you say it like that, I feel like a teenage girl wanting those very words to be said to her. I'll never feel like an old woman with you." She turned and faced him and he took in the lovely form of his lover for so many years, and many more to come.

"Then why the sad face?" he questioned still staying on the bed.

"Because when I am this big with a child." She indicted with her hands. "Will you still think that way?" she quizzed him.

"Of course I will!" he smiled at her. "You are my Swan, and you always will be."

"Good. "She picked up the tray, and brought it to the bed and she began to eat.

"Because I want you to look in the top draw of my side table." She indicated to it and he opened it.

He took out a long white strip that had two blue lines on it. "What this?" He asked knowing the answer already, to a really dumb question when the evidence was right in front of him.

"A pregnancy test of course!" she said as she munched on a piece of toast.

"But… _how_...we ahhh …were not going to well…mmm" He could not find the right words!

"I know, but this was not planned by us its early days yet Ken. And I'm just as scared as you are about it at the moment." She could read him like a book!

"We were not going to even start trying until I was off the medication." He was still in shock from the news that he was going to be a father.

"I realize that too, so that's why we keep this to ourselves until we know for sure we are not going to have complications…I was late, and well…I just decided to do a test to rule it out…but then it was positive…"She shrugged and gave him her special smile just for him.

"I  _saw_  you from the window doing a Kata for the first time in years, you looked so alive…So since I was up, I did the test…I was going to come down and tell you…but, you need time alone I could tell." She picked up her orange juice by passing the coffee and took a sip, she was looking at him over the rim of the glass.

He shuffled along the bed and put his arms around her and gave her a beaming smile. "Jun...I'm happy, and like everything else…we'll do this together." He kissed her and touched her nose playfully, and they both smiled at this new development in their lives.

"Aren't you suppose, to have morning sickness or  _something_?" he asked wondering what to do now.

"Well  _some_ women do, but I'm OK at the moment. We'll see what happens from here… I am probably about five weeks, so I'll go to the doctor and find out some more about what to expect." She finished the breakfast and took the try over to dresser.

"We'll keep this to ourselves until we get back from Jupiter Mountain." She said as he took her in his arms again.

Ken wanted to make sure she still wanted to go to look up her past, now that a baby was coming into their lives. "I know Jinpei would be crushed if something happened…Ryu is still traveling Ameris in his Winnebago with Jill. Do you still want to go to the Himalayas next week? We could always do it another time, it's your call."

He understood the need to find your roots, but he wanted her close to medical if they needed it.

"I want to go…I have wanted to search for something on my family since I was a little girl…lets still go…we can fly back if I get too sick, or well…something happens. We'll make sure we are covered for travel medical, The ISO have a hospital there now… I need to have closure, before I have my own child come into the world."

Baby! That was the word that had not been spoken yet. They were going to have a baby! He felt utter joy enter him.

All things considered he still was not keen to go on this trip now, but he could see she was determined.

They both turned to the window as they heard a car pulling up out the front of the house. Ken glanced out to see Joes new, Black Ferrari pull up. "It's Joe." He told her simply.

He went and threw on his jeans and a shirt. Jun picked up her satin robe as and put it on as they listened to Joe and his son’s voices downstairs.

"Bayden you knock on the door first, and then go in." Joe explained to the four-year-old.

"But daddy…Uncle Ken and Aunty Jun know me and you daddy…they won't mind." The small child tried to explain his logic.

Ken could almost hear the long breath Joe was letting out trying to keep his patience.

"You still have to knock my son. It's polite...Your mother says I have to teach you some manners." Joe said.

Ken looked at Jun who was stifling a giggle. Joe and manners? They heard a knock and then the front door opened.

"Bayden…son wait…no, no, no! Stay here!" Joe called out to his boy.

"We are not playing a game of hide and seek now Bayden! Aunty Jun will get mad if you break anything!" Joe stated in a held back frustrated Condor manner, as Ken and Jun heard Joe walking through the downstairs part of the house.

Jun and Ken turned their heads at the cheeky giggle they heard from the bedroom door. "Daddy's slow." He said

They both looked at the cheeky face of a four year old that was playing games with his father's sanity as he looked back at the stair way, and then turned his face back to them and ran into Aunty Jun's outstretched arms.

"You're a brave boy Bayden." Ken said hopping of the bed that he'd gone back too.

Bayden had a habit of running off on his own.

"Bayden…Bayden come out  _now!_  Or else I'm gonna… _arrgggg_." Ken and Jun stifled giggles as the heard the Condor's frustrated voice and then Joe open the front door again and call him from outside.

"Joe, he's up here." Ken called from the top of the stairs, and then went back into the bed room again.

Jun was lying back on the bed with the little boy sitting beside her, she was listening to him chatter away about the race that his dad went in.

Bayden wanted to tell her everything at once, and he was so excited that he was tripping over his words.

Ken heard Joe walking up the stairs.

"Are you decent?" He called out, but before Ken could respond he stuck his head in the doorway.

Bayden looked up at his father battering his big brown innocent eyes at him.

"Don't you give me that look!" Joe gave his son a mock Condor glare as he shook his finger at him. "What have I  _told you_  about running off on your own my son. We had this discussion in Bathurst. Pay attention Bayden or you're grounded. My back is turned for  _two seconds_  and he disappears."

"Well that sounds  _familiar_ ," Jun smirked at him, as Joe shot her wide eyed innocent face knowing the hidden meaning behind those words.

"Wait until it's your turn Swannie… did he tell about how the awards ceremony was delayed for over an hour while we searched the tracks at Bathurst for him?" Joe had a look of fear and anger cross his eyes as he told the story.

"Madeline turned her back for a moment, and he vanished…"Joe signed and let another long breath." Apparently, he wanted his remote-control race car…he had been naughty a few moments before, so she said  _no_. He could play with it  _later_ …

He took it from her bag anyway, and ran off, and he hid himself so he could play with it."

Joe shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair and let out another long breath as he relived the moment.

"I had only just finished the race, to hear then that my son had gone missing, and my wife was in hysterics trying to find him. I was so mad with him…and worried, we looked everywhere." Joe still had that look in his eyes as he continued.

"Well… I finally found him crying under a grandstand because it wouldn't work anymore. You know, up until that point I wanted to put him over my knee and give him a good hiding …but when I saw him I was so relieved that I hugged him instead and told never to that to us again…the batteries had run out of the remote."

Ken put his hands in pockets, and smiled a little and shook his head, Bayden was fast and they had to keep a close eye on him.

He was also very independent for a small child, and liked to have his own way.

He was also very bright and not much escaped him. Joe and Madeline had a challenging child on their hands that they both loved tremendously.

Joe looked from Ken to Jun and the back to Ken again. "There  _something_  going on here, you pair are grinning like a couple of teenagers."

Jun's eyes went wide, and Ken took a hold of Joes arm and turned him around. "We're just in a good mood this morning that's all, want a coffee?" Ken asked him.

"Sure, why not." They left the room and they both turned around at the sound a of pair soft feet on the carpet behind them.

"Aunty Jun wants a shower…I'm going with the men because boys stick together right dad." He stated, and walked ahead of them down the stairs. "That right son, a team sticks together."

Once in the kitchen Ken put down the breakfast tray down and put on the kettle, he really only drank green tea these days.

The warm sunlight was bright and golden through the window and the day only got better for Ken, he felt so young.

Joe began to help himself in the fridge getting out the milk, Ken could see the curious glances he was giving him.

A few minutes later, with green tea in Ken's hand and a coffee in Joes they made their way outside and sat at the small table on the front veranda.

They sat watching Bayden play with a remote -control car in the pathway. He was still hitting everything that was in his way, and making crashing noises to give the right sound effects.

The light cool breeze was soothing, and woke Ken's senses up even more as his nose caught the stray scent of one of the roses close by.

He found himself smiling like a Cheshire cat, and it felt so fantastic to be alive.

His thoughts were interrupted by Joe.

"I haven't seen you smile like this since you got married. Something is different about today Ken...What's happened in the two months since I left for the Bathurst 1000 Australia." Joe's question just made him smile more.

"Nothing out of the ordinary Joe, I had some time to think last night, in a way I have never allowed myself to do. I let go of a few things…I guess I realized that you can't have one without the other." Joe was sitting back in his chair sipping his coffee waiting for Ken to get to the point.

"You can't have the rose  _without_  the thorns, life doesn't work that way…But She's my rose, and it was worth getting past all the thorns just to have her." He finished with his voice going soft as he looked at the flowers bending in the breeze.

Joe let out a laugh to lighten the moment, and sat back in the chair with his hands behind his head. "That's  _deep_  bro', but your right... so  _damn_  right."

Ken looked at Joe, but he was watching his son playing and Ken warmed inside at the love that was written all over the Condors face as he thought of his own family.

That little boy had the mighty Condor wrapped around his finger and so did his beautiful wife with her copper curls, bright violet eyes and love of music

Joe even learned how to play the Saxophone because of her, and the Condor was a showy entertainer when he played it too.

"That's why we decided to apply for adoption again, we figured he needs a brother or a sister. Thanks for the references by the way. Jinpei and Ryu's as well…We have the social workers coming next week to asses us. It'll be a long process, but worth it in the end."

A silver Mercedes pulled up beside the black Ferrari in the driveway, and Madeline Asakura got out of the car.

"Mummy!" Bayden yelled as she scooped him up in her arms and kissed his cheek.

He giggled, and then squirmed out of her arms and went back to playing with his car crashing it into everything he could again.

"Ken leaned over the table." He drives like you ...I hope there are no shiny red buttons on that remote control." Joe ignored that last comment.

"I thought you had things to do this morning." Joe called out to his beloved wife.

"I did, but I wanted to catch up with Jun and couldn't wait for tomorrow." She called back as she walked towards them.

Jun came bursting out of the front door."Maddy!" She cried out and met Madeline on the pathway and threw her arms around her and the hugged each other for a few minutes.

Jun was beaming, and Madeline studied her face." You're pregnant!" she exclaimed excitedly with wide violet eyes and radiating a big smile back at Jun who was blushing madly.

"How do you know?" Jun asked, she only found out that morning and had not told anyone.

"Your beaming rays of sunshine Jun…and a lucky guess I see…Congratulations mummy…I'm so happy for you sis', and If you need me you just call me you hear." Jun's eyes filled with happy tears, and they hugged each other again.

Walking close to each other still, the two women who were as close as sisters made their way inside the house talking in excited voices about the morning's events.

The last the boys heard was Jun asking Madeline. "So, I hear you won the celebrity race at Bathurst, Bayden told me."

"My darling son calls us the Asakura racing team. I'll tell you about it over dinner tonight, at our house we have a DVD of the race you won't be able to stop Joe from showing it to you." Madeline said as the girls went into the kitchen.

Joe had a cocky proud grin on his face at the conversation they were eavesdropping in on, then Joe sat up right in his chair and was looking wide eyed at Ken.

"Daddy huh! Well…well… well, how long have you been keeping that intell to yourself?" Ken couldn't hold back any more, the secret was out.

"We found out this morning, it's early days yet but we are still going to Jupiter Mountain…she wants to go Joe…she needs to know about her past. If we can find anything."

"Well, I don't have to tell you, we are here if you need us Ken."

"I know." He replied with the satisfaction of having a real family around him, made him feel content.

His life was looking up, and he knew he was blessed because he was the leader of the team, and even though they were no longer the Science Ninja Team officially.

They always would be The Science Ninja Team in their hearts, and no could take that away from them ever.

Life was just getting better for Ken and Jun Washio all the time... 


End file.
